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The 

Printer's Dictionary 

of Technical Terms 



A Handbook of 

Definitions and Information about 

Processes of Printing 

With a brief Glossary of Terms 
tised in Book Binding 



Compiled by 

A. A. Stewart 

Instructor in the School of Printing 
North End Union 



Boston, Massachusetts 

Published by the School of Printing 

North End Union 

1912 






Copyright, 1912, by 
Alexander A. Stewart 



SCLA305817 



Foreword 

pHE following pages have been in course of 
preparation for several years. Originally some 
-f the matter was intended solely as "copy" for 
ractice in type-setting by pupils in the School of 
'rinting; later it was arranged, roughly, into the 
form of a brief glossary, and then, as its value for 
practice-work, instruction, and general trade infor- 
mation became apparent, it was gradually put into 
the form in which it now appears. 

The book is the product of some seventy-five or 
eighty young printers, who have left on its pages the 
impress, of their first struggles to attain a mastery of 
their chosen vocation. Every page represents hours 
of patient, earnest work on the part of pupils who 
were receiving their first lessons in putting hastily 
prepared copy into typographic form. In its com- 
pilation no especial researches have been under- 
taken, reliance being mainly on the ordinary sources 
of information, i. e., trade journals, technical works, 
and general dictionaries and encyclopedias, and on 
personal experience and observation. 

Considering the manner in which it has been pro- 
duced, no apology need be offered for its obvious 
defects and shortcomings. The aim has been to com- 
pile rudimentary information for the young printer, 
and no attempt has been made to cover the sub- 
jects exhaustively or to make a cyclopedia of com- 
plete information. 




The Compositor's Stick 



Methods of Printing 



PRINTING is the art, act, or process 
of producing impressions for literary, 
graphic, or decorative purposes. This 
may include many processes which are not 
commonly associated with the term, like 
moulding, coining, stamping, embossing, or 
the methods used in making calico, wall- 
paper, decorated pottery, etc., as well as in 
making photographs. The processes here 
considered are those wherein ink is applied 
to the surface from which it is intended to 
print and transferred by impression to paper, 
cardboard, or other material. 

In this sense there are various methods 
employed, each a separate art, distinct in 
theory, process, and application. These are 
known as : 

The Relief Method, the chief part of which 
is typography, or printing from types. This 
includes also wood blocks and metal plates 
engraved in high relief, like wood-cuts, zinc 
etchings, and halftone engravings. 

The Intaglio Method, by which the print- 
ing is done from polished plates having the 
lines cut in the surface and filled with ink. 



vi Methods of Printing 

This method includes copperplate and steel- 
plate engraving, copperplate etching, dry- 
point engraving, aquatint engraving, mezzo- 
tint engraving, and photo-gravure. 

The Chemical Plane- Surf ace Method, chief of 
which is lithography, or printing from stone. 
This includes also zincography (metal), the 
several photo-gelatine processes, and the rub- 
ber offset process. 

The Relief Method 

Is that wherein the parts which carry the ink, 
and thus make the print, stand in relief above 
the substance out of which they are made, the 
parts which show white being cut away so 
that no impression is made on the sheet. 

Typography, or letter-press printing, is 
the method of printing from movable types 
having letters and other characters cast in 
high relief. The types are independent of 
each other, but so made that they may be 
arranged in endless combinations, and after 
being once used for one line or page may be 
separated and re-assembled to print other 
lines or other pages. Other methods require 
the engraving or preparation of the subject 
by slow processes which, when once made 
upon the printing surface, cannot readily be 
used for anything else. 

A page of type may be composed, cor- 
rected, locked up for a press, and impres- 
sions made from it in an hour's time or less. 
This may be done with the simplest mate- 



Methods of Printing vii 

rials, which may be found in every printing 
house, however small. The page may also be 
as readily moulded and the mould it makes 
used to produce a duplicate printing form in 
one piece. For the great bulk of book print- 
ing this duplicate, called an electrotype, is 
employed. By this method, types sufficient 
to set up a few pages of this book may be 
composed, corrected, and the pages moulded, 
then the type distributed and set again for 
other pages of the same work, continuing the 
process for any number of pages. The sur- 
face of type forms can also be multiplied by 
the stereotype process, which is the method 
now employed for nearly all daily newspapers, 
as it is the quickest and permits of casting 
plates in a curved form so that they may be 
fastened to the cylinders of fast rotary print- 
ing machines. 

Up to about thirty years ago type-setting 
was done almost entirely by hand work, but 
since that time type-casting and type-com- 
posing machines have been developed so 
skillfully that the greater part of straight- 
away composition on newspaper, periodical, 
and book work is now done with machines. 
(See Type Setting Machine, p. 324, etc.) 

Closely allied to typography in modern 
practice are wood engraving, zinc etching, 
and halftone engraving. Engravings of these 
kinds are in relief, and when made on blocks 
which bring their surfaces to the height of 
type they may be put in the same forms with 



viii Methods of Printing 

type, or in separate forms, and printed on an 
ordinary typographic press. 

The wood-cut is the older kind of engrav- 
ing. Because of its slower manipulation and 
greater cost it has been almost superseded 
by the zinc plate and the copper halftone. 

Zinc etching is the process of engraving 
commonly used for newspapers and for the 
ordinary grades of periodical and commer- 
cial work. The copy for reproduction is usu- 
ally drawn with a pen on white paper or 
card, with a perfectly black ink, and all the 
degrees of light and shade must be produced 
by dots and lines of varying widths and dis- 
tances apart. Photographs, wash drawings, 
and fine-grained or tinted pictures must have 
their essential parts translated into distinct 
lines and spots in order to be engraved by 
this method. 

Halftone engraving is done practically 
by the same methods as zinc etching, the dif- 
ference being that, when photographing the 
design on the metal, a screen is interposed 
between a sensitive plate in the camera and 
the copy. The halftone screen varies in fine- 
ness from 80 to 250 lines to an inch, accord- 
ing to the coarseness or fineness of the plate 
required, this being determined by the fin- 
ish of the paper to be used and the care with 
which it may be printed. The coarse screen 
is best suited for the rapid work and cheaper 
paper of a daily newspaper, while a screen 
of 135 to 200 lines, on smooth coated papers 






Methods of Printing ix 

printed on slow presses, gives finer results 
in the picture. The finer the screen used, the 
shallower the plate can be etched, and the 
smoother the paper and finer the ink must 
be in order to print clearly. 

In a wood engraving the lines may be cut 
sharp and deep, so that it will print clearly 
on a medium-rough or antique-finish paper. 
A zinc etching is not usually as deep as a 
wood-cut and it prints well on a medium- 
rough paper; if it contains some detail in fine 
lines it may require smooth paper to show 
it properly. 

Relief printing is done on presses of two 
distinct classes : the platen, or flat surface, 
and the cylindrical. The original hand-press 
consisted of a flat bed upon which the type- 
form was placed ; after being inked and the 
sheet laid on, the form was subjected to im- 
pression by another plane surface. The mod- 
ern platen press embraces the same prin- 
ciple with the operations applied mechanic- 
ally instead of by hand labor. The cylinder 
press is of two classes. One style consists of 
a flat bed holding the printing form, which 
passes back and forth beneath a revolving 
cylinder carrying the sheet and giving the 
impression. The other consists of two fac- 
ing cylinders, to one of which a curved 
printing form is attached ; the other, having 
a smooth surface, imparts the impression 
to the sheet as it passes between the two 
cylinders revolving in opposite directions. 



Methods of Printing 



This latter style of press is the kind em- 
ployed for daily newspapers, large-edition 
periodicals, and advertising matter issued in 
large quantities. The flat-bed-and-cylinder 
style of machine is the kind in most com- 
mon use. It is made in many varieties by 
different manufacturers, and is the kind up- 
on which the largest part and the best grades 
of typographic printing is done. The me- 
chanical platen press is used for jobbing 
and miscellaneous small work, while the 
hand-press is largely employed for taking 
proofs of type and engravings, and for work 
of which only few copies are required. 

The Intaglio Method 

By this process the design is cut in the sur- 
face of the plate, the lines or dots thus en- 
graved being filled with ink, the face of the 
plate then wiped clean, and the paper, slight- 
ly damp, pressed on the plate under the cyl- 
inder of a rolling press. By this pressure the 
paper is forced into the sunken lines and 
takes up the ink, so that the printing has a 
slightly embossed or raised appearance. This 
method is in every respect the reverse of 
printing from type, and gives results in del- 
icacy of line and brilliance and depth of 
color not obtainable by other methods. The 
ink fills the lines in a compact body and does 
not spread out under pressure; whereas, with 
type, the pressure of printing from a fine ink- 
covered line in relief tends to weaken the 
color and leave blurred edges. 






Methods of Printing xi 

There are several methods of engraving 
on copper and steel plates, each employed 
according to the nature of the design. The 
engraving is done chiefly by hand with sharp 
tools, or gravers, producing precise lines of 
varying thickness, as for script lettering. A 
succession of uniform lines, straight, curved, 
or waved, are made on a ruling machine, 
and stippling is done by minute punctures, 
the dots being larger or smaller, close or 
open, to give varying tones of color. Another 
method is to etch the surface with a corrod- 
ing acid. The plate is covered with a coat- 
ing through which the design is cut, and the 
metal afterward eaten away where it is ex- 
posed. Because of its greater freedom of ma- 
nipulation, its quickness, in comparision with 
the hand-engraving method, and the sketchy 
nature of etched lines, this latter method is 
popular with artists, and is employed largely 
for wall pictures and works of art. 

Copper and steel plate printing, being al- 
most entirely hand-work and not easily adapt- 
able to rotary or other mechanical methods, 
is slow and costly. The kinds of work done 
are chiefly personal cards, wedding and soci- 
ety cards, announcements, and stationery. 

The presses used are not at all like those 
used for printing type-forms or relief plates. 
Each print requires the ink to be worked 
into the engraved lines, the surplus ink 
cleaned from the face of the plate, the sheet 
laid on, and the impression taken. The out- 



xii Methods of Printing 

put of a single press is limited to a few hun- 
dred copies a day. This method is the same 
as when it was first invented in the fifteenth 
century. The tools are the same ; the D- 
roller press is practically the same, perhaps 
better made ; the workman wipes off his 
plate in the same way. In bank-note printing 
and a few special lines of work a new ma- 
chine has been introduced, but a great part 
of this kind of work is to-day done by the 
original hand methods. 

Steel-plate printing employs practically 
the same methods as copper-plate work, the 
engraving being done on a plate of polished 
steel instead of copper. It is used for bank 
notes, postage stamps, etc., and was formerly 
employed for portraits and fine book illus- 
trations, though for this latter purpose half- 
tones and photo-gravures have largely super- 
seded steel plates, because of the smaller cost. 

Steel dies for stamping note paper, envel- 
opes, and similar work, are also manipulated 
by the same general methods. The steel is 
soft, so that it can be cut without much diffi- 
culty with hand tools. After the engraving 
is done, the steel is put through a hardening 
process, and is ready for use. As the design 
is sunk in the metal, it is necessary to use a 
counter die to force the paper into the sunken 
parts to produce the relief and take up the 
ink. The counter die is made usually of a 
substance known as tar-board, a piece of 
which is laid on the steel die and an impres- 



Methods of Printing xiii 

sion made. The tar-board is then trimmed 
away gradually up to the face of the design, 
so that the impression will be chiefly at the 
actual point of printing. 

The printing is commonly done with a 
stamping press operated by hand, but there 
are now several embossing and die-stamp- 
ing presses in which the operations are au- 
tomatic and the inking and wiping of the die 
is done mechanically instead of by hand. 

The Plane-Surface Method 

Chief under this head is lithographic print- 
ing, which is done from flat stones of peculiar 
quality. The design to be printed is drawn 
on the stone with a specially-prepared ink, 
which clings to and dries on the surface. 
The surface is then subjected to the action 
of a weak acid that hardens the ink and 
slightly etches and lowers the unprotected 
parts. The process of printing first requires 
moistening the surface with water, which is 
absorbed by the blank parts and repelled by 
the hard, greasy lines. Printing ink is then 
applied and is repelled by the wet parts but 
adheres to the ink-drawn design. (See p. 140.) 
Plates of zinc are sometimes employed as 
substitutes for the lithographic stones. They 
are much cheaper, but not adapted to the 
finer grades of work. Zinc is also used for 
relief plates by photo-engraving or etching. 
Work of this kind is known as zincography. 
Several processes of photo-gelatine printing 



xiv Methods of Printing 

are very much like lithography, a coating of 
gelatine upon a sheet of glass or metal being 
substituted for the lithographic stone. (See 
Gelatine Printing , p. 8 7 . Photo-gravure, p. 1 8 7 .) 
The offset method of printing has recently 
undergone rapid development, especially in 
this country. It is one of the many variations 
of the lithographic principle, employing a 
plane surface, chemically treated, for holding 
the design, picture, or other matter to be 
printed, and a rotary machine with three 
cylinders for the printing operations. One 
cylinder carries a zinc plate on which is the 
design, transferred from an original copy ; 
this cylinder prints on the rubber covering 
of a second cylinder, which, after receiving 
the impression, prints, or offsets, it on to the 
sheet of paper that is carried around by the 
third, or impression, cylinder. (See Rubber 
Offset Press, p. 254.) Two sets of rollers are 
used, adjusted beside the cylinder holding 
the zinc plate. One set of rollers supplies ink 
to the plate, while the other set dampens it, 
as in ordinary lithography. 



The Printer's Dictionary 



The Printers Dictionary 
of Technical Terms 

s4 CCENTS — Marks over, under, or through 
particular letters to show difference in pro- 
nunciation, etc. For most roman and italic 
body letter, and for many jobbing and dis- 
play fonts, accents are cast on the letter. 
Separate accents, floating accents, or piece 
accents, are made for use with any large 
or heavy-face types. 

Acme Paper- Cutter — A machine manufactured 
in Boston, which has been in use for a num- 
ber of years and improved from time to 
time. It is made in several sizes, has self- 
clamping and other useful devices, and is 
operated by mechanical power. 

Acme Press — A small cylinder press formerly 
made in Boston and intended mainly to 
meet the requirements of country news- 
paper offices. It had a high frame, with 
the bed about breast-high, ink fountain 
and rollers close to the printing cylinder, 
a delivery-fly under the feed-board, and 
could be operated by a man at the driving 
wheel. Another press very similar is called 
the Fairhaven. 



2 The Printers Dictionary 

Acute Accent — A mark over a letter, thus: e. 

Account Mark — A sign used in commercial 
books and price-current lists : % 

Ad — A colloquial abbreviation for advertise- 
ment. Plural, ads, 

Adams Press — A printing machine invented 
by Isaac Adams in 1830, and subsequently- 
improved by him and others. It was in 
common use for book printing during the 
latter part of the last century, until super- 
ceded by the cylinder machine, and is now 
used only in a few old-established book- 
printing houses. It has a stationary platen, 
and a bed whose only movement is up and 
down — up to the platen to give the impres- 
sion, and down to allow the inking rollers 
to pass over the form. A frisket carries the 
sheet in to its place and after the impres- 
sion is made the sheet is then carried out 
by tapes and deposited on the receiving- 
board by means of a fly. 

Ad-man — The compositor on a newspaper 
who sets advertisements. 

Admiration Mark — Sometimes applied to 
the exclamation-point, when it indicates 
surprise, joy, or admiration. 

Advertising Rule — A thin brass rule, type 
high and varying in thickness, for dividing 
one advertisement from another in news- 
papers, magazines, *etc. 



of Technical Terms 



Agate — A small size of type-body, between 
pearl and nonpareil, corresponding to 5 y 2 
points. Chiefly used now in advertising 
and market reports. Measuring fourteen 
lines to an inch. 

Albatype — A system of making poster type 
by analyzing the letters, cutting them into 
squares and circles and then composing 
them so that they shall come together prop- 
erly. For instance, an I may be made with 
four pieces, two for the body and one for 
each of the serifs ; an H would require nine 
pieces, etc. {American Dictionary of Printing 
and Bookmaking.) 

Albertype — A process of reproducing photo- 
graphs on gelatine, the printing being 
much like lithography. 

Albion Press — An iron hand-press, with frame 
similar to that of the Washington hand- 
press, giving its impression by means of 
levers which straighten out when the bar 
is pulled. Common in England. 

Aldine Editions — Books published from 1494 
to 1597 by Aldus Manutius and his family 
at Venice and Rome, celebrated for their 
accuracy and the high prices which they 
commanded. The works of Petrarch, Boc- 
cacio and Dante were published by them, 
and they were the first to use italic letters. 
The emblem of the Aldi was a dolphin 
twined around an anchor. 



4 The Printer's Dictionary 

Aldine Type — A heavy-faced roman letter of 
condensed form : Aldine. Now commonly 
called bold-faced condensed. 

Aldus — The popular contraction of the name 
of Theobaldus Manutius, the head of the 
celebrated family of Italian printers, who 
are often styled the Aldi. 

Alignment — The exact correspondence attop 
or bottom of the letters and characters of 
a font of type. 

Alley — The floor space between two stands 
or cabinets, in which compositors are at 
work. 

All in — When all the type available is dis- 
tributed in cases. 

All in hand — When all the copy has been 
given out to the compositors. 

Alteration of Margins — When a book or pam- 
phlet of small pages has been worked off 
with small margins for regular edition, and 
then the furniture between the pages in- 
creased to print another edition with wider 
margins on larger paper, and vice versa. 

Ampersand — The name sometimes applied 
to the character &. 

Anastatic Process — A method of reproducing, 
from anything once printed, another series 
of impressions. The print is treated with 
an acid and submitted to pressure against 
a zinc plate, thus fixing the design on it 
similar to that of a lithographic plate. 



of Technical Terms 



Aniline Colors — A class of newer colors of 
printing inks, whose basis is coal tar, hav- 
ing great brilliancy but little permanency. 
They work well and have good covering 
qualities for little weight, but fade quickly 
when exposed to strong light. 

Annex Box — A brass box or cup which can 
be attached to boxes of the type case for 
holding extra or special characters. 

Anonymous (or Anon.) — Without name. Ap- 
plied to books or writings which do not 
bear the author's name. When an assumed 
name is used it is termed a pseudonym. 

Antimony — A metal used in type-founding, 
in combination with lead, tin, copper, etc. 

Antique — A style of type in which all parts 
of the letter are of a uniform thickness of 
line, made in many varieties : Antique. 
The term is also applied to blind-tooling in 
book finishing. 

Appendix — An addition at the end of a book, 
containing further information; extensive 
notes, put at the end so that they shall not 
occupy too much of text pages. 

Aquatint — A method of etching on copper 
or steel, in imitation of drawings in sepia 
or india ink. 

Arabic Numerals— The ten figures in com- 
mon use, so called because they are sup- 
posed to come from Arabia; in distinction 
from Roman numerals, which are letters. 



6 The Printer's Dictionary 

Arching — When a form, by being locked up 
too tight, or for some other reason, springs 
up from the stone. 

Army Press — A small press made in Cincin- 
nati, much used in the Civil War, being 
adapted to the use of movable army print- 
ing outfits. It has a cylinder by the rota- 
tion of which the bed is moved and the 
impression given simultaneously. 

Artisfs Proof — An original proof made be- 
fore an etching or engraving is given to 
the public. Incorrectly applied to large 
paper copies made later. 

Artotype — Method of making gelatine plates 
from photographs, which are printed from 
in a manner similar to lithography; does 
not differ much from the albertype. 

Ascending Letters — Those that ascend into 
the upper shoulder of the type, as 1, h, d, 
etc., and capitals; g, y, p, j, q, are descend- 
ing letters. 

Asterisk (or Star*) — One of the old-style 
reference marks. Also used formerly to 
indicate omitted letters or words. One or 
more asterisks used in connection with a 
letter for a name is an aster ism : B * * * *. 

Author's Proof — A clean proof sent to the 
author after the compositor's errors have 
been corrected. 

Autography — A method of transferring draw- 
ings from paper to stone. 



of Technical Terms 



Autograph — Written by the hand of the 
author. An autograph letter or document 
may have only the signature in the author's 
handwriting. When written entirely in the 
author's handwriting it is a holograph. 

Auxiliary Print — A method whereby part of a 
newspaper is printed in one place (where 
the same matter is used for other papers) 
and then sent to another place to be com- 
pleted. Used by newspapers with limited 
facilities. Also called Ready Print. 

Backing — At press, printing the second 
side of the sheet; in electrotyping, the pro- 
cess of filling in the copper shell with metal. 

Balls — Circular pieces of leather or canvas 
stuffed with wool or hair and fastened to 
handles; used before the invention of inking 
rollers, to distribute ink on the type. 

Bank — A high table, with part of the top 
inclined, upon which the hand-pressman 
placed his paper. Sometimes applied to 
any bench with sloping top against a wall. 

Bar — In a hand-press, the long handle which 
is pulled over to give the impression. 

Bastard Title — The brief title preceding the 
main or formal title of a book; the half-title. 

Bastard Types — Those with faces larger or 
smaller than is commonly made on the 
body, as a 7-point face on a 6-point body, 
giving the effect of compactness, or 8-point 
face on 9-point body, giving an open effect. 



8 The Printer's Dictionary 

Batter — Type injured in a form. 

Beard (of a type) — That part between the 
face and the square, solid body ; the bev- 
eled space below the face of a type. 

Bearers — Strips of metal, type high, placed 
around jobs and pages that are to be elec- 
trotyped, and elsewhere, to bear off the 
impression on light parts of forms. Also 
used inside the chase in job forms, to 
insure even rolling of ink over open or 
irregular matter. 

Beating — The ancient custom of putting ink 
on type by means of inking balls. In book- 
binding, to cause folded sheets to lie flat 
and solid by striking the folded edges with 
a beating hammer. 

Bed — The flat part of a press upon which 
the form is placed. 

Bed-and- Platen Press — That style of press 
which gives the impression from a flat 
surface — the hand press, Adams press, 
and nearly all small job presses; distinc- 
tive from the cylinder machine. 

Begin Even — When one compositor has part 
of the copy and must end in the middle of 
a paragraph but at the end of a line, the 
compositor having the next part must 
"begin even." 

Bellows — In the composing room, used for 
blowing out dusty cases, etc. 



of Technical Terms 



Benzine — Used very generally in printing 
offices to clean ink from type. It evapo- 
rates quickly and leaves wooden furniture, 
cuts, etc., uninjured by wetting. Because 
of the fire risk, only a small quantity is 
allowed on the premises at one time, and 
this is kept in patent self-closing cans. 

Beveled Sticks — Side-sticks and foot-sticks, of 
wood or metal, wider at one end than the 
other, by the side of which wood wedges or 
quoins are placed to lock up forms. The in- 
troduction of mechanical quoins which lock 
up on parallel side-bearings has made the 
use of beveled sticks almost unnecessary. 

Bibliomania — A passion for acquiring books. 

Bibliophile — A lover of books. 

Bibliograph — A description of manuscripts 
and books, with accounts of different edi- 
tions, date of printing, prices, and other in- 
formation pertaining to them; the science 
of books. 

Bible Text — Formerly applied to a size of 
type now called great primer, because it 
was formerly used for printing the Bible. 

Bill-head — A ruled and printed blank on 
which an account is presented to a debtor. 
The sizes commonly used are 8^ or 7 
inches wide and of varying lengths, the top 
part having the creditor's name, business, 
etc., with a blank for the debtor's name, 
and the date ; below these are ruled lines 



io The Printer's Dictionary 

for the items of the account and prices. 
A bill-head differs from a statement, which 
is narrower (usually 5^ inches) and is 
used for monthly statements. 
Bill Posting — To put up bills, posters, etc., on 
fences, walls, and other prominent places. 

Bill of Type — An old-time phrase used to in- 
dicate a complete assortment of type cast 
at one time. 

Bind — When a letter, lead, or piece of fur- 
niture is slightly out of place, or too large, 
and does not allow the matter to lock up 
square and solid. To fasten together and 
cover the sheets of a pamphlet or book. 

Bite — An irregular white spot on the edge 
of a printed page, caused by a frisket not 
being sufficiently cut out. 

Black-leading — In electrotyping, covering the 
face of the form which is to be moulded 
with black lead. 

Blacksmith — An opprobrious epithet applied 
to a poor workman. 

Black Letter — Applied to many variations of a 
style of letter used in the early days of print- 
ing: mWh ZLttttV* Bibliographers 
call it gothic, because it has always been 
preferred by people of Gothic descent; but 
the style called gothic among American 
printers is an entirely different letter. 

Blanks — A general term for white spaces 
left by quads, leads, slugs, furniture, etc. 



of Technical Terms 1 1 

Blanket — A woolen cloth or sheet of rubber 
used on cylinder presses for some kinds 
of work, to save labor in making ready. 

Blank Li7ie — A line of quads in which no 
letter appears ; a white line. 

Blank Page — A page on which there is no 
printing. It is often necessary to make up 
a page of blank furniture to fill out a form 
which has other pages of type. 

Blank Tables — Tabular work in which the 
headings and rules have been set, leaving 
the columns blank, to be filled in later ; a 
method employed to expedite work when 
the form and size is known and it is de- 
sired to finish work in the shortest possible 
time after arrival of copy. 

Blind Date — Letters, figures, or contractions 
sometimes put at the bottom of advertise- 
ments in newspapers to indicate how long 
the advertisement is to run, or on what days 
or editions, as a guide to the maker-up : tf , 
till forbidden, eod, every other day, etc. 

Blocks — Hard-wood or metal bases for elec- 
trotypes or stereotype plates, usually with 
catches or mechanical devices for holding 
the plate in place during printing. A stamp 
or die used on an embossing press to print 
book covers. 

Block Book — A term applied to the books 
which were printed from engraved wood 
blocks about the time of the invention of 
movable types. 



12 The Printer's Dictionary 

Boards — A term applied generally to any 
thick, heavy card or pasteboard. 

Board Rack — An arrangement of strong 
boards with ledges on the back and sides, 
for holding pages and forms of type. 

Bodkin — A slender awl, often combined with 
tweezers, used for correcting in type, etc. 

Body — The size of a type considered in the 
direction from top to bottom of the letter; 
the thickness, or width sideways, is its set 

Body of a Book — The text or subject matter 
of a book, as distinguished from the pre- 
liminary matter, index, appendix, etc. 

Bogus — Copy given to compositors on daily 
papers to fill in waiting time ; type set, 
though not intended for use, is paid for at 
regular rates, thus keeping piece-hands at 
work until arrival of genuine copy. 

Bold-face — Type of roman style with heavy 
lines thickened. Bold-face. Also called 
full-face. Fat-face is a broad full-face. 

Bond Paper — A strong, flexible paper for 
bonds, certificates, and commercial forms. 

Book Font — A large quantity of type suffi- 
cient to set a number of pages of a book, 
as distinguished from a job font, or small 
assortment for occasional use. 

Book Press — A press adapted for book print- 
ing, as distinguished from a newspaper or 
jobbing press. A strong machine used in 
binderies to press books together. 



of Technical Terms 13 

Book Paper — The term is applied in a general 
way to a large class of paper used in books, 
periodicals, and advertising pamphlets. 
Other classifications are writing, news, 
poster, label, cover, etc. 

Booklet — A small book or pamphlet. 

Book Plate — An electrotype or other plate 
used in printing books. Also a label, en- 
graved or printed from type, placed inside 
of a book to show the ownership. See Ex 
Libris. 

Book Room — Applied to a composing room 
in which books are the chief work done, as 
distinct from a job or news room. 

Bookworm — A worm or mite which burrows 
in the covers and leaves of books. A term 
applied to a person closely addicted to the 
study of books. 

Border — Applied generally to a large variety 
of plain and ornamental characters cast 
in type, the units being adjustable in lines 
to surround a panel or page, or in other 
combination to give decorative effects. 

Bottom-line — The last line of a page. 

Bottom-notes — Foot-notes are sometimes thus 

called. 
Bourgeois — A size of type between brevier 

and long primer in the old system of type 

bodies; in the point system the size is 9- 

point. 



14 The Printer's Dictionary 

Boxed, orBoxed-in — Small paragraphs or lines 
of type enclosed with rules or borders ; 
paneled. 

Boxes — The subdivisions of a type-case in 
which the letters are kept. 

Boxwood — A wood used extensively for en- 
gravings, or wood-cuts. It grows in many 
parts of the world, and in different vari- 
eties, the kind used for engraving being 
hard and of a fine, close grain. 

Box Paper — Paper used for covering boxes, 
book-covers, etc., made in a variety of 
colorings and qualities, but thin, so as to 
be pasted on easily. 

Braces — Type characters used to group or 
combine two or more separate items. They 
are commonly included with extra charac- 
ters in fonts of roman capitals, in lengths 
of two and three ems (,~^ ^^-^), and 

also in separate parts (^- ■ A N ), 

which, with dashes, may be extended to 
any length. They are also made in brass 
for use in job work (-— •^_^-^_^-— — ). 

Brackets — [ ] Signs of punctuation used to 
enclose interpolated letters, figures, etc. 

Brass — An alloy of zinc and copper much 
employed in the manufacture of printing 
material. It is largely used for galleys, 
column rules, head-rules, plain and fancy 
rules in a great variety, circles, ovals, 
dashes, etc. 



of Technical Terms 15 

Brasses — Brass strips used as leads in daily 
newspaper offices, where hard use quickly 
destroys the ordinary leads. 

Brass Rule Cases — See Labor- Saving Rule. 

Brass Rule Cutter — A small machine for cut- 
ting brass rule in required lengths; a style 
in common use is adapted for cutting leads 
and slugs as well. 

Brass Rule — Strips of brass of a width equal 
to type high, of various thicknesses, and 
many styles of face. It is used in nearly 
all places where straight lines are required, 
from a hair line to a heavy black line, and 
in combination with type and border. 

Brass Type — Used by book-binders. Leaden 
type cannot endure the heat which must 
frequently be applied for stamping book 
covers. Brass types are more expensive as 
well as more durable. 

Bray — To distribute ink on an ink-table or 
disc by means of a brayer. 

Brayer — Formerly a wooden pestle of cylin- 
drical shape, flat on one end and with a 
handle on the other, used to spread out ink 
to be taken up by the inking balls. Later 
it became a small hand-roller used for dis- 
tributing the ink before it is taken up by 
form rollers. 

Brayer Roller — A small hand-roller used to 
distribute ink, etc. 



1 6 The Printer's Dictionary 

Break-line — The last line of a paragraph, 
where quads are required to fill out the 
space. In careful composition, a break-line 
which consists of only one short word, or 
part of a word, is not considered good, ex- 
cept in a narrow column. 

Brevier — A size of type between minion and 
bourgeois, corresponding to 8-point. 

Brilliant — A very small size of type, equal 
to half-minion or 3 *^ -point. It is too small 
for practical use, although some miniature 
books have been set in it, which are objects 
of curiosity. A more practical modern 
method of obtaining very small lettering 
is to have the page composed in good type 
of a large size from which a sharp, clear 
proof is made, with black ink on w r hite 
paper; this proof is then reduced to the 
necessary minuteness by the photographer 
and an engraving is made by the photo- 
mechanical process. 

Bring Up — In making ready on press, to put 
underlays or overlays on the parts where 
the impression is defective; to bring up to 
an even and full pressure for printing. 

Bristol Board — A class of fine cardboard, 
made in various qualities and thicknesses, 
usually of smooth finish. 

Broadside — A large sheet printed on one side 
only, like a hand-bill or a poster. 



of Technical Terms 17 

Brochure — A pamphlet; a work containing 

few leaves, printed and stitched. 
Broken Matter — Pi ; type matter out of order. 

Bronzing — To brush a metallic powder on a 
sheet freshly printed with ink, varnish, or 
sizing. The metallic dust is made in gold, 
silver, copper, green, or other colors, and 
when applied to a smooth finished surface 
that has been printed with sizing it gives 
a brilliant lustre. The printing is done in 
the usual manner, except that sizing is 
used for ink, and while it is still fresh on 
the paper the bronze dust is applied with a 
soft pad. The surplus dust is brushed off, 
leaving the printed part bright and clear. 
When other colors beside bronze are to be 
printed on the sheet, the bronze form is 
printed first, in order to get rid of the sur- 
plus dust before the other colors are ap- 
plied. The process is slow and not pleasant 
when large quantities are printed this way. 
Bronzing machines have been introduced 
where there is much of this kind of work. 

Bronze Inks — Printing inks made with an ad- 
dition of bronze ; when dry they give a me- 
tallic appearance, though not having the 
same brilliance as when bronze powder is 
applied to printed sizing. 

Bentrovato — A chemical fluid preparation 
which, applied to the tympan sheet, dispels 
troublesome electricity in press work. 



1 8 The Printer's Dictionary 

Buckle — In electrotyping, when the copper 
shell has folds or lumps in it, making an 
irregular face. 

Building Up — In electrotyping, after an 
impression of the form has been made in 
the wax, to put more wax on the places 
which will show blank in printing, so that 
these parts in the plate will be deep enough 
to prevent smutting the paper. 

Bullock Press — A web printing machine, the 
first of that kind made in this country, 
invented by William Bullock of New York. 
It embodies the principles of the web per- 
fecting machines now in use by daily news- 
papers and others — the cylinder upon 
which is placed the curved stereotype 
plates, the paper fed to the press from a 
roll, and the sheets cut apart and run into 
a folding-machine attachment. 

Bundle — Two reams of paper. 
Burin — An engraver's tool; a graver. 

C — In the Roman numerals, C or c stands 
for ioo. See Roman Numerals. 

Cabinet — A frame for holding type-cases, 
etc., closed in on the sides and back so 
as to exclude dust. Made in many dif- 
ferent styles for printers' use. 

Caledonian Type — A style resembling antique 
but heavier : Caledonian. 



of Technical Terms 19 

Caledonian Italic — A broad-faced sloping let- 
ter : Caledonian Italic, More common- 
ly called law italic because of its frequent 
use in law blanks. 

Calendar — A sheet showing the arrangement 
of days, weeks, and months of the year. 

Calender — In paper-making, a machine with 
rollers between which paper is passed to 
give a smooth, glossy finish ; when the 
rolling has been frequently repeated the 
paper is said to be supercalendered. 

Calico Printing — The process by which cot- 
ton cloth, white or unbleached, is colored 
that it shows various patterns. The work 
is wholly unlike that of printing colors in 
typography. 

California Job Case— A type case with boxes 
arranged like that of the regular italic case, 
except that, by the omission of two hori- 
zontal rows of boxes on the capital side, 
the boxes for capitals are enlarged. 

Caligraphy — The art of writing. 

Cameo Plate Paper — A dull-finished coated 
paper, presenting a delicate surface, for 
printing halftones, etc. 

Campbell Press — A popular cylinder machine 
invented by Andrew Campbell, and since 
improved. The different styles of the press 
embrace nearly every kind required for 
typographic and lithographic work. 



20 The Printer's Dictionary 

Cancelled Figures — Figures with a line across 
their faces, used in arithmetic work : j3. 

Canon — The largest size of type having a 
distinctive name in the old nomenclature, 
equivalent to 48-point. It was so called 
from its early employment in the leading 
lines or paragraphs of the printed canons 
of the Church. 

Cap — A size of writing paper ; flat cap, 14 x 
17 inches; double cap, 17x28 inches ; flat 
foolscap, or small cap, 13x16 inches; 
crown cap, 15x19 inches. 

Cap. — A common abbreviation of capital. 

Caps, and Small Caps. — Two sizes of capitals 
made on one size of type body, common 
in most fonts of roman letter, and often 
set together in combination : Capitals 
and Small Capitals. 

Caption — A heading. 

Carbon Paper — A sheet covered with black 
coloring matter, which when placed be- 
tween white sheets will duplicate on the 
under sheet any impression made on the 
top sheet ; manifold paper. 

Card Cutter — A machine for cutting cards, 
made in many styles. The style now most 
used has a board with movable gauges and 
a blade attached to one edge. At one end 
of this blade a shear is hinged which, be- 
ing moved down past the stationary blade, 
does the cutting. 



of Technical Terms 21 

Card Indicators — Representations of the four 
suits of playing cards, used in playing-card 
literature : V ♦ * 4 . See Playing Cards, 

Card Pips — Fifty-three characters represent- 
ing each card of a pack of playing cards. 
They are cast on bodies of about 36-point 
and used to show plays in card games. 

Caret — [a] A mark used in writing, proof- 
reading, etc., to denote where a word or 
other matter is to be inserted. 

Case — A shallow wooden tray divided into 
compartments, in which types are placed 
for composing. The common size is about 
32^x16^ inches, and one inch in depth. 
Two cases, placed one above the other on 
an inclined frame, are used for ordinary 
compositon in roman type. The lower case, 
divided into fifty-four boxes, contains the 
small letters of the alphabet, with figures, 
punctuation marks, spaces, and quads; the 
upper case, with ninety-eight boxes, holds 
capitals, small capitals, and miscellaneous 
characters : % & OSF* IT || § * t * ae ce, etc. 
Cases adapted to other work than plain 
roman composition are common in every 
composing room : for italics, for accented 
letters, for jobbing and advertising type, 
for music, for foreign languages, and for 
numerous other purposes. Many styles of 
cases have boxes for complete font : capi- 
tals, small letters, points, etc., in one case. 



22 The Printer's Dictionary 

Case-cleaner — A device by which a case with 
a wire bottom, reversed from the ordinary- 
type case, is placed over the latter and 
turned upside down, allowing the bottom 
of the type case and its type to be blown 
free of dust with a bellows. 

Case Racks — For holding cases that are not 
in use, as distinguished from frames or 
stands for cases in use. 

Casing Letter — Putting type into cases when 
a new font is laid ; laying a case. 

Caslon Type — An old-style roman, originally 
designed by William Caslon, an eminent 
English typefounder. The face is now very 
popular and used for many kinds of work. 
ia-Point Caslon Oldstyle and Italic 

Cassie Paper — The imperfect, damaged out- 
side sheets of a bundle of paper. The term 
is now rarely used. 

Cast — Written at the head of a page or proof 
by the editor, author, or proofreader, Cast 
signifies that the proof is final and the form 
is ready for moulding and the plate cast. 
O.K. is the term used in some establish- 
ments for the same purpose. When the 
type form itself is to go on the press for 
printing, the proofreader's or editor's final 
proof is usually marked Press. 

Casting Up — Measuring the amount, by ems, 
of type set, to find the cost of composition ; 
measuring up. 



of Technical Terms 23 

Casting Off— Estimating the number of pages 
or columns of type a given amount of copy 
will make. When the copy submitted is re- 
print or carefully typewritten, the process 
of estimating is greatly simplified, but in 
the case of one hundred or more pages of 
copy that is in the handwriting of perhaps 
several persons, on different sizes of paper, 
broken up into paragraphs and parts, with 
many breaks and otherwise irregular with 
extracts, erasures, interlineations, etc., the 
calculation becomes complicated, and re- 
quires a careful examination of the copy, 
a thorough knowledge of the materials to 
be employed, and some little experience. 
The ordinary method employed is, first, to 
make a careful count or estimate of the 
number of words or lines in copy ; then, 
having decided upon the size of type and 
width of page, set a number of lines of the 
copy sufficient to establish the proportion 
between lines of copy and lines of type ; 
then the number of type lines is divided 
into pages of required length. To illus- 
trate : if fifty words of manuscript make 
five lines of type, and the total number of 
words in copy is computed at fifteen thou- 
sand, the probable total number of lines 
of type will be fifteen hundred; these lines 
divided into pages of thirty lines each, 
will make fifty pages of type. Liberal al- 
lowances must also be made for headings, 






24 The Printer's Dictionary 

indentations, paragraph and other short 
lines, and blanks. These can be estimated 
only by examining the copy. 

Catch-line — Short, unimportant words (the, 
of, etc.) between large lines in display. 

Catch-word — A word placed below the end 
of the last line of the page in old-time 
books, to indicate the first word of the 
next page. The term is now often applied 
to a large striking or startling first word 
at the beginning of an advertisement to 
catch attention ; a catch-phrase. 

Caxton Black — A style of black letter made 
and used by William Caxton, the first Eng- 
lish printer, and still in vogue in a mod- 
ernized form : Caxton QSfttfft. 

Cedilla — A mark under the letter 5, to in- 
dicate its pronunciation like s. In the 
absence of the proper character, some 
compositors use a modern roman figure 
5 upside down : g. 

Celluloid — A white material formed of gun- 
cotton and camphor. It takes a fine polish, 
is highly inflammable, and has been used 
in various ways in printing, but not very 
generally. When made in sheets like card- 
board it may be printed upon, though with 
difficulty, as its hard, glassy surface resists 
ordinary printing ink. By the use of heat 
and by combining some caustic substance 
with the ink the difficulty is overcome. 



of Technical Terms 25 

Ceriphs, Cerifs, Serifs — Lines or cross-strokes 
at the ends of the stem of a letter. 

Cerography — Engraving on wax spread on a 
sheet of copper, from which an electrotype 
is made for printing. The wax process is 
frequently used in making maps. 

Chanted Books — The custom of fastening 
books to reading desks and shelves was 
common in the Middle Ages and later. 
In churches, castles and large households 
books that were highly prized were chain- 
ed to their places, but could be readily 
consulted, in the same manner as at the 
present time directories and other books 
of reference placed in public places are 
secured to prevent them being carried off 
by those who have no right to. 

Chalcography — The art of engraving on cop- 
per or brass. 

Challenge Paper- Cutter — A machine whose 
cutting power is obtained by turning down 
an upright lever. 

Challenge Press — A small job press of the 
Gordon style, made in several sizes. 

Chandler 6° Price Press — A popular jobbing 
machine of the Gordon style, made in sev- 
eral sizes at Cleveland, Ohio. 

Chap-Book — A small book or pamphlet car- 
ried about for sale by chapmen or haw- 
kers ; a cheap book for common circulation. 



26 The Printer's Dictionary 

They were of no particular form, but rug- 
ged and uncouth, sometimes illustrated 
with crudest wood-cuts and were popular 
in the early days of printing. The term 
has been revived, and is applied to pam- 
phlets of modern make-up but suggesting 
old-time characteristics. 
Chapel — The workmen in a printing office, 
considered as a society. As used in this 
country, the term applies to an organiza- 
tion of the union printers employed in a 
printing house, though in its older usage 
it meant any assemblage of printers em- 
ployed in one place. If the printing house 
is a large one, it has a chapel of the com- 
positors and another of the pressmen ; a 
chapel of the book room, of the job room, 
or of any distinct department of printers. 
Each chapel is presided over by a chair- 
man (formerly called the father of the 
chapel) and, around the imposing-stone 
usually, deliberates and acts upon matters 
relating to employment, disputes, chapel 
dues, and other questions. 
Moxon (1683) gives the following explan- 
ation of the origin of the term : " Every 
printing house is, by the custom of time 
out of mind, called a chapel, and all the 
workmen that belong to it are members 
of the chapel, and the oldest freeman is 
father of the chapel. I suppose the style 
was originally conferred upon it by the 



of Technical Terms 27 

courtesy of some great churchman, or men 
(doubtless when chapels were in more ven- 
eration than of late years they have been 
in England) w T ho for the books of divinity 
that proceeded from a printing house, gave 
it the reverend title of chapel." 
Chapter Heads — Those at the beginning of 
a chapter, usually sunk from the top line 
of the full page. The heads on second and 
succeeding pages are running heads. 

Character — A distinctive mark, letter, figure, 
or sign. 

Chart Paper — A machine-made paper, of the 
best rags, specially adapted for charts and 
maps, being very strong and thin to fold 
easily. 

Chase — The iron frame in which the type is 
imposed and locked up for the press, made 
in many styles for various uses. For small 
job presses, the chase is a simple cast-iron 
frame, slightly beveled on two sides, and 
is made especially to fit its place on the bed 
of the press. For book and other large 
work on cylinder presses, stronger chases 
are made of wrought iron, strongly welded 
at the corners and having cross-bars fitted 
in them, to enable the stone-man to lock 
up large forms with the greatest security 
possible. The thickness of the chase as it 
lays around the type-form is a little less 
than type-high, so that inking rollers may 



28 The Printer's Dictionary 

pass over the face of the form without 
touching the chase or its accompanying 
furniture, quoins, etc. Two chases, made 
to lay side by side on a cylinder press, are 
half, or twin, chases; a large chase without 
cross-bar is a broadside or poster chase ; 
a chase to contain two pages of a news- 
paper has a cross-bar the short way of the 
chase, to go between the pages ; another 
style is divided into quarters by two cross- 
bars. The cross-bars may be fixed in the 
frame, or they may be removable, the ends 
being dovetailed to fit into slots. When a 
chase has two sets of slots, allowing the 
bar to be removed from one place to the 
other, it has a shifting cross-bar. Chases 
for cylinder presses have all outer sides 
without bevels, that they may be locked 
firmly when placed on the bed of the press. 
Chases used to lock up forms for electro- 
type and stereotype moulding are rarely 
larger than 12x16 inches, are extra thick 
and strong, and are called foundry chases. 
Daily newspapers printed from stereotypes 
have special heavy chases, one for each 
page, and fitted with a wedge-and-screw 
device for quick locking up. 

Check Ends — Ornamental designs placed at 
the left end of printed bank checks ; mod- 
ern style has largely discarded their use. 

Check Folio — A flat writing paper, 17x24 ins. 



of Technical Terms 29 

Check Screw — In a hand-press, a screw to 
regulate the length of the pull. 

Checkers and Chess — Types for representing 
these games are cast on square em bodies, 
usually 1 2-point, 1 8-point, or larger. There 
are sixty-four pieces for each game, in- 
cluding blanks, which may be composed 
in a square to represent the playing-board 
and the characters placed to represent any 
position or play. 

Cheeks — In the old wooden hand-press, the 
main upright posts into which the other 
heavy pieces were fastened. 

Chesapeake Compound — A prepared reducer 
for thinning stiff printing inks. 

Chill — In a hand-press, an elbow of steel at 
the end of the bar, which gives the impres- 
sion by being straightened up when the 
bar is pulled. 

Chinese White — A pigment used for thinning 
or mixing with colored inks. 

Chromatic Type — Type so made that it will 
print part of a character in one color, then 
other types inserted to print other colors 
until the character is complete. 

Chromography — Printing with colors. 

Chromo-lithography — The lithographic print- 
ing process by which one picture is printed 
from many stones in succesion, each stone 
printing a different color. The greater part 
of lithographic printing is of this kind. 



30 The Printer's Dictionary 

Cipher — The tenth character in the list of 
arabic figures, which, standing by itself, 
means nothing, but placed after a whole 
number increases its value tenfold. Also 
an intermixture of letters, as the initials of 
a name, an enigmatic device ; a private 
alphabet or system of characters. 

Circled Corrections — Special alterations made 
by proofreader or author are often circled 
in the proof to call attention to them. See 
Ring-mark. 

Circular Quads — Made to justify with rec- 
tangular bodies outside but curved inside, 
in pairs, to hold curved lines of type ; very 
little used now. 

Circulars — Applied to a miscellaneous class 
of small work, like letters, notes, announce- 
ments, etc., usually intended to be enclosed 
in envelopes and circulated by mail. 

Circulation Manager — The person who takes 
charge of the distribution of a newspaper 
or periodical after it has been printed ; the 
city agent. 

Circumflex — The caret-shaped accent placed 
over a letter : a e i 6 u. 

Clarendon — A style of type in which all the 
lines are thickened, somewhat heavier and 
more condensed than antique: Clarendon. 
In general use for headings and advertise- 
ments. 



of Technical Terms 31 

Clay-finish Paper — Paper in which fine clay- 
is mixed with the pulp, to give it additional 
lustre and smoothness in the finish. 

Clean Proof- — When a compositor sets his 
type without errors, or with very few, he 
sets a clean proof. 

Clearing away — Putting surplus leads, rules, 
furniture, and other materials back in their 
places when the make-up and lock-up are 
completed. The workman who persistently 
neglects to do this is a nuisance in a com- 
posing room. 

Clerical Errors — Mistakes made in copying 
or writing manuscripts. 

Clicking — The system of working in com- 
panionship under a clicker. See Compan- 
ionship. 

Close — The end of a quotation. The copy- 
holder, reading to the proof-reader, says 
quote (") at the beginning and close (") at 
the end of matter enclosed in quote-marks. 

Close Matter — Type set solid and with few 
break-lines. 

Close Spacing — Thin spacing, using the three- 
to-em space and thinner. Type set solid 
or with thin leads should be close spaced ; 
when widely leaded, wider spacing is re- 
quired. 

Closed Office, or Shop — A workroom in which 
union workmen only are employed, and 
which is closed to others. 



32 The Printer's Dictionary 

Closed Up — When work is divided among sev- 
eral compositors and each has completed 
his part, or take, the matter is closed up. 
One slower than the others keeps the gal- 
ley or form open until he finishes. 

Coated Paper — That which has a surface 
coating, giving it a smooth and commonly 
a glossy finish. 

Cock-robin Shop — A small printing office in 
which a cheap grade of work is done and 
labor poorly paid for. A London epithet. 

Cock-np Letter — An initial letter, larger than 
the text, justified so that it lines at the 
bottom and stands up higher than the text 

letter. Here is one. 

Codex — Before paper was invented wooden 
tablets were written on, and these tablets 
were called codices. The ancients wrote 
first by making notches in them ; after- 
wards they covered them with wax and 
used a stylus to write with. The word co- 
dex thus came to mean writings, a book, 
a collection of laws, and finally was mod- 
ernized into code. 

Coffin — In a wooden hand-press, the frame- 
work into which was laid the stone that 
served for the bed in old times. Also ap- 
plied to the framework into which an im- 
posing stone is fitted. A small paper cone 
used to hold, sorts. 



of Technical Terms 33 

Cold Pressing — After sheets are printed they 
are placed under pressure in a screw press 
or hydraulic press, to take out the indenta- 
tions made by type. A method employed 
in the better grades of books. 

Collating — Examining the folded sheet s of a 
book to see that signatures are in proper 
order. It is a necessity in good work, but 
slow and tedious. A modern method in 
large editions is to place a diagonal or 
other mark in the form so that it will show 
on the back fold of the signature ; the next 
signature has the mark moved down a 
little, and so on in regular steps. When 
the sheets for one book or magazine are 
gathered correctly, these marks will show 
in regular order ; if irregular, the misplaced 
sheets may be readily detected. 

Colporteur — One who carries around and 
sells books ; in this country applied to a 
vender of religious books. 

Columbian — A size of type equal to two-line 
brevier or 16-point. 

Columbian Press — An iron hand-press invent- 
ed by George Clymer of Pennsylvania, and 
very popular during the early part of the 
the last century. It did good work and 
was ornamented in a novel manner, being 
surmounted by a representation of the 
American eagle "with extended wings and 
grasping in his talons Jove's thunderbolts, 



34 The Printer's Dictionary 

combined with the olive branch of Peace 
and cornucopia of Plenty, all handsomely 
bronzed and gilt." The name is also given 
to a small rotary job press. 

Columbier — A size of writing paper, 23x34. 

Column — Newspaper columns are separated 
by column-rules, usually about 6-point in 
thickness. In periodicals, magazines, and 
in books which have their pages divided 
into columns, the modern practice is to 
separate the columns by a blank space, 
such as a reglet or slug. A well-defined 
white space between matter in regular or- 
der serves the purpose as well as a light 
line and is not so bothersome to the press- 
man ; but in the make-up of broken or ir- 
regular matter the separating line is nec- 
essary to make it legible. 

Column-rules — Strips of brass, used mostly in 
newspapers, to separate columns. They 
are type-high, and vary from 4-point to 
1 2-point in thickness, with the face beveled 
on both sides so that the light line is in 
the middle. A custom with careful work- 
men is that a plain column-rule should not 
project above the top line of the columns 
it divides ; but if there is a cross-rule or 
border at the top of the columns, the col- 
umn-rule should go up to that cross-rule. A 
column -rule finished with an ornament 
may end wherever good taste indicates. 



of Technical Terms 35 

Combination Borders — Those type borders 
which, by being cast on similar bodies or 
on multiples of a smaller body, may be 
combined in various ways to suit the form 
required ; the term applies more especially 
to a class of elaborate borders made up 
of many illustrative features, now gone out 
of favor. 

Combination Leads and Slugs — See Labor-sav- 
ing Leads and Slugs. 

Come in — When copy is set so that it occu- 
pies a designated space it comes in. 

Comma (,) — The most frequently used of the 
punctuation marks. Besides its use in sepa- 
rating the minor clauses of a sentence, it 
is turned upside down, in pairs and singly, 
to mark the beginning of a quotation ("); 
in column matter two are sometimes made 
to serve as a sign for ditto ("); in large 
numbers stated in arabic numerals it is 
used to separate the figures in classes of 
hundreds (123,456,789); it often indicates 
the omission of two letters in the name-pre- 
fix Mac, as M'Kay. 

Commercial A — The mark @, meaning at or 
to, used in market reports, etc. 

Commercial Signs — Arbitrary marks in use 
among business men : $ dollar, £ pound 
sterling, lb pound weight, & per, $ per 
cent, % account, etc. 



36 The Printer's Dictionary 

Commercial Note — A writing paper, size 8x10 
inches, folded ; commercial letter, 11x17 
inches, folded. 

Comp. — An abbreviation for compositor. 

Companionship — When a number of composi- 
tors work together under a clicker, who 
takes charge of the work, gives out copy, 
finds sorts, makes up, etc. For these ser- 
vices, intended to facilitate the work of 
others in the companionship, the clicker 
receives a share of the total amount earned. 
An English custom, not common here. 

Composing — Setting type. 

Composing Machines — Many inventions have 
been made from time to time for setting 
type mechanically. The most successful 
machine at the present time is the Simplex, 
which composes foundry-cast type. Dis- 
tinction should be made between type-com- 
posing and type-casting machines. The 
Linotype assembles matrices and casts 
the whole line in a single piece. The Lan- 
ston Monotype casts individual types and 
assembles them into properly-spaced lines. 

Composing Room — That part of a printing es- 
tablishment in which the type is set and 
imposed and made ready for the press. 

Composing Rule — A piece of steel or brass 
against which type is set in the composing 
stick ; usually with a nib on the end, to take 
it out when the line is completed. 



of Technical Terms 37 

Composing Stick — The oblong flat tool which 
the compositor holds to place the types in 
as he takes them from the case. As its 
name indicates, it was originally made of 
wood ; wooden sticks are now used for 
posters, but the common stick is polished 
steel, sometimes nickeled. It has a mova- 
ble knee, held in place by thumb-screws 
or other devices, which enable the com- 
positor to adjust it for setting any length 
of line within its limits. For newspaper 
and other work where the length of line 
is fixed, the adjustable knee is not needed 
and the stick is made in one piece. A mod- 
ern style for job compositors is the grad- 
uated stick, which has the adjustable knee 
slotted to the back of the stick in such a 
manner that it may be set to measures of 
6-point and multiples of 6-point without 
using quads or other materials to fix the 
measure. 

Composition — That part of the work of print- 
ing which pertains to type-setting, making 
up, etc. Arranging the pages in a chase 
and locking up for the press is imposition. 
The term composition is also applied to 
the mixture of glue, molasses, etc., used for 
ink rollers. 

Compositor — One who sets type; according 
to the class of work done, he is termed a 
book, newspaper, ad, or job compositor. 



38 The Printer's Dictionary 

Compound Words — Two words connected 
with a hyphen, like arm-chair, house-boat, 
etc. 

Concordance — An alphabetical word index 
showing the places in the text of a book 
where each principal word may be found, 
with its immediate context in each case. 

Condensed — The word is applied commonly 
in printing to designate a type-face thin- 
ner than normal, usually connected with 
the words which name it specifically. This 
face is normal, Bold; this is Condensed; this 
is Extra Condensed. 

Contents, Table of — One of the preliminary 
parts of a book which gives a description 
of text matter, with page references. It 
differs from the index in that it is at the 
beginning and follows the order of the 
book itself, while the index is usually at 
the end of the volume, gives the subjects 
in greater detail and is arranged in alpha- 
betical order. 

Contraction — A word shortened by the omis- 
sion of one or more letters, or represented 
by an arbitrary form. Omitted letters are 
indicated by inserting an apostrophe ; an 
abbreviation is, more specifically, a word 
cut off at the end. 

Copper-facing — A method of coating by elec- 
tric action the face of new type, so that it 
will be more durable. 



of Technical Terms 39 

Copper — Largely used in printing for making 
electrotypes, for copper-facing type, and 
in plates for engraving or etching on. Cop- 
per is also used in small quantities in the 
mixture of type metal, and the composition 
of brass. Copper bronze powder is also 
used for printing purposes. 

Copperplate Paper — A good quality of un- 
sized paper, calendered on one side only. 

Copperplate Engraving and Printing — The en- 
graving is done on a plate of polished cop- 
per and the impression made on a press 
with a roller motion. The method is en- 
tirely different from typographic work, 
which is printing from relief surfaces. In 
copperplate work, the lines are cut in the 
plate, ink is then rolled over so as to fill 
the lines ; the surplus being wiped off the 
plate, leaving ink only in the lines, the 
sheet is placed in position and the whole 
subjected to a pressure which forces the 
sheet into the engraved parts. The pro- 
cess is hand-work almost exclusively, and 
much slower than other methods of print- 
ing. Name cards, wedding and society 
printing, and work of a personal nature re- 
quiring relatively few copies, are the kinds 
done in this manner. 

Copper Thin Spaces — Thin pieces of copper, 
substitutes for paper and cardboard, used 
in spacing and justifying lines of type in 



40 The Printer's Dictionary 

job-work; made usually for 12-point and 
larger sizes, which may be obtained of 
dealers. For easy identification, spaces of 
y^, -point thickness are copper, and 1 -point 
are brass. 

Copy — The hand-written, type-written or 
printed words or design given to the print- 
er. Care taken in the preparation of copy 
lessens the labor of producing good re- 
sults. It should be written with ink, not 
with lead-pencil, on one side of the sheet 
only ; sheets should be of a size convenient 
to handle, never rolled, and if possible not 
folded. The term copy is also applied to 
a single specimen of a finished work. 

Copy-cutter — In daily newspaper rooms, the 
foreman's assistant, whose duty it is to pre- 
pare the copy for the compositors. He 
receives it from the editorial room, marks 
the size of type for each article, the style 
of headings, etc., according to the custom 
of the publication, and cuts the copy into 
small portions, or takes, so that it may be 
in the hands of several compositors and 
put into type in the quickest time. 

Copy-holder — One who holds copy and reads 
it aloud to the proofreader. In large estab- 
lishments doing book and periodical work, 
the duties are exacting, as the reading re- 
quires, in addition to the speaking of the 
words, the naming of every point, capital, 



of Technical Terms 41 

italic, accent, or other special character 
employed in the work. In small printing 
offices, ordinary matter is often read by a 
proofreader alone, with the copy beside the 
proof for comparison. Also, an arrange- 
ment placed on the compositor's case to 
hold copy while setting type. 
Copy-hook — Ordinarily a filing-hook beside 
the copy-desk, upon which copy is placed 
for compositors in a newspaper office. 
There is usually a hook for each size of 
type in use, and copy is placed in regular 
order, face inward. 

Copying Ink — Made both for writing and 
printing purposes ; it will transfer, under 
pressure, to another sheet that is damp. 

Copying Press — A small machine, used in 
business offices mostly, for making copies 
of freshly written manuscripts by transfer- 
ring under an impression. The original 
copy must be made with copying ink. 

Copyright — The legal right which an author, 
designer, inventor, or proprietor has in his 
own original productions, especially the 
exclusive right to print, publish, and sell 
his literary works, for his own benefit, for 
a certain period of time. This right may 
be in maps, charts, photographs, drawings, 
paintings, musical compositions, statues, 
and models, as well as in books. The fee 
for copyright is one dollar. 



42 The Printer's Dictionary 

Cores — The hollow spaces in the bodies of 
large metal types and in metal bases of 
stereotypes and electrotypes. Also the 
center wooden and metal rods of compo- 
sition inking rollers. 

Cornering Machine — For cutting the corners 
of books and cards, usually round, but 
may be in different shapes. 

Corner Quads — Cast in this shape: ^ to 
match 6-point and 12-point quads. They 
are useful when placed outside the corners 
of a page with mitred rule-joints, to secure 
a true and even junction of rules. 

Correcting — In America the term is applied 
generally to the changing of wrong letters 
or words, or making other alterations in 
type forms. In England it may mean the 
reading and correcting of proof as well, so 
that the expression correcting in the metal is 
used there to distinguish the mechanical 
operation from the reading of proof. 

Cottrell Presses — Cylinder machines made 
by C. B. Cottrell and his sons at Westerly, 
R. I. They are made in various styles for 
typographic and lithographic work, com- 
prising the ordinary country press, news- 
paper and job, two-revolution, two-color, 
stop-cylinder, and the elaborate modern 
web perfecting shifting-tympan press used 
by magazines and periodicals of extensive 
circulation. 






of Technical Terms 43 

Corrector of the Press — A term formerly and 
now occasionally used for the proof-reader. 

Counter — A small mechanism attachable to 
printing presses to record the number of 
impressions made. The term is also given 
to that part of a type which is at the side 
and within the lines which print, thus giv- 
ing the white space. 

Counting Off Copy — See Casting Off Copy. 

Country Offices — Commonly understood to be 
those in towns and small cities, as distin- 
guished from metropolitan establishments. 

Country Press — Applied to a style of cylin- 
der press intended for use in small estab- 
lishments, country printing offices, etc., 
for ordinary work, and made at small cost. 

Cox Printing Presses — A series of web and 
ordinary cylinder presses made at Battle 
Creek, Mich. The web presses are of the 
duplex style, which prints two sides and 
delivers folded sheets, using ordinary type 
forms on a flat bed and printing on paper 
from a roll, or web. Another style prints 
from curved stereotype plates ; others are 
of the stop-cylinder flat-bed style, and a 
front-delivery country press. 

Cranston Presses — A series of flat-bed cylin- 
der machines made by J. H. Cranston at 
Norwich, Conn. They were designed for 
general commercial, book and newspaper 
work, and were made in a variety of sizes. 



44 The Printer's Dictionary 

Cream Laid — A cream-tinted paper having 
water-marked lines running through it at 
regular intervals. In cream wove paper 
these lines do not appear. 

Crochet Type — Small types, usually two char- 
acters on 6-point em bodies, one character 
showing a black square and the other a 
white square. They are set to show pat- 
terns of crochet work and other designs. 

Cropped — When a book is trimmed too much 
in binding it is said to be cropped. When 
it is cut down so that the printing shows 
in the edges it is said to bleed. 

Cross-bars — The bars which divide the chase 
into sections to more securely lock up large 
forms. When an oblong chase has two 
cross-bars crossing each other, one is the 
long cross and the other is the short cross. 
See Chases. 

Crown — A size of printing paper, in Eng- 
land being 20x15 inches; but in this 
country the size is usually 19x15 inches. 

Cryptography — The art or act of writing in 
secret characters, as by the substitution of 
one letter for another, so that it will look 
unintelligible to one not familiar with the 
key ; communications in cipher. 

Cunabula or Incunabula — The originals; the 
extant copies of the first or earliest printed 
books, generally applied to those printed 
in the fifteenth century. 



of Technical Terms 45 

Curly n — An easy way to designate this 
character. See Tilde. 

Curvilinear Plates — The stereotype or elec- 
trotype plates curved or cast for use on 
cylindrical machines. 

Cut Edges — A book trimmed by a machine 
has cut edges ; if opened by a knife or 
folder where the folds occur it is untrim- 
med, which means uncut. 

Cut Flush — When the cover on a book, pam- 
phlet, or other work, is trimmed at one cut, 
with the inside, so that all edges are flush. 

Cut Form — A printing form which contains 
engravings, in distinction from a form of 
type-matter only. In shop parlance an 
engraving is a cut. 

Cut-in Letter — A large letter set in at the 
beginning of a chapter ; an initial letter. 

Cut-in note — A note or title set into the side 
of a page of reading matter ; it is usually 
of smaller size type than the main page, 
but is sometimes in bolder face. A side- 
note is placed in the margin outside of the 
main page. 

Cutting-out Knife — Used by pressmen for 
cutting out underlays and overlays in mak- 
ing ready. 

Cutting the Frisket — In hand-press work, to 
cut out of the frisket the parts to be 
printed on the sheet. 



46 The Printer's Dictionary 

Cyclostyle — An apparatus for making dupli- 
cate copies of writing. Punctures are made 
in the matrix by points on a small wheel, 
and through these points color is forced 
as on a stencil, but with a roller instead 
of a brush. 

Cylinder Press — That style of printing ma- 
chine which prints by means of a rolling 
impression against the type form or print- 
ing surface. It is made in many varieties, 
which are known as drum-cylinder, two- 
revolution, stop-cylinder, double-cylinder, 
and the two, three, four, six, eight, or ten 
cylinder web machines. 

Cylinder Sheets — The sheets fastened upon 
the cylinder, which form the basis of the 
make-ready ; the packing, or tympan. 

D — Signifies 500 in Roman numerals. 

Dabber — A soft leather or silk ball, for ink- 
ing a printing form, used more frequently 
by engravers ; another term for the old- 
time inking ball. 

Dagger [f] — A reference-mark used in writ- 
ing and printing. In type, it belongs to 
the group of characters (* f t § II II (GP^) 
which accompany the capitals of roman 
fonts, and which are usually placed in the 
top row of boxes of one side of the capi- 
tal case. Also called the obelisk. 



of Technical Terms 47 

Dandy Roller — Attached to paper-making 
machines. The wet web of paper carried 
on the endless wire of the machine passes 
under this roller and is pressed by it. It 
gives the laid or wove appearance to the 
sheet, and when letters, figures, or other 
devices are worked in fine wire on its sur- 
face, it produces the water-mark. 

Dashes — Cast in type of all sizes up to and 
including 24-point. In smaller sizes they 
are in four lengths : en -, em — , two-em 

, three-em , and are included 

with the miscellaneous characters in fonts 
of roman capitals. As a mark of punctua- 
tion, the em dash has various but not 
always proper uses. It may rightly serve 
in place of the parenthesis, and to indicate 
an abrupt change in a statement, to con- 
nect side heads with their text, or in place 
of a colon to indicate that something is to 
follow. Its use after another point (like , — 
or : — ) is not generally approved by good 
printers and proofreaders. With its longer 
mates, it formerly served to indicate sup- 
pressed words or parts of words, like M — 

d . The en-dash is more often used in 

place of the short, stubby hyphen when 
that mark does not seem adequate, as in 
compounding words in capitals, etc., like 
RED-HOT, 1905-1906; it is also used 

to extend a pieced brace, thus : / A w 

The longer dashes serve many purposes 



48 The Printer's Dictionary 

in all kinds of work. In addition, the term 
is given to metal and brass rules of various 

lengths and patterns ( -> « ) , 

used for separating headings, articles, and 
other divisions of type composition, 

Davis Oscillating Press — Made in Rhode 
Island about 1 850-1 860. Its mechanical 
principle was a triangular frame with a 
curved face, like part of a cylinder surface, 
which rocked backward and forward over 
the printing form. 

Day, John — An eminent British printer of 
the sixteenth century. 

Daye, Stephen — The first printer in British 
America ; he erected and operated a press 
in Cambridge, Mass., in 1639. 

Dead — Applied in several ways to matter 
whose usefulness or interest has gone by : 
dead matter is type that has been printed 
and is ready for distributing ; dead copy 
is that which has been prepared but for 
some reason is not to be used. Type 
forms, after use, are killed ; sometimes 
part is saved for use again, and, with all 
other matter ready or in preparation but 
not printed, is alive. 

Dead Horse — Work charged and paid for 
before being done. A journeyman who 
performs work for which he has already 
been paid is working for a dead horse. 



of Technical Terms 49 

Decimo-octavo — The fold of a book known 
as i8mo. This Latin name is not often 
used among printers. 

Decimo-sexto — Bibliographical term for i6mo. 

Deckle-edge — The untrimmed feather edge 
formed where the paper pulp flows against 
the deckle. Hand-made paper has four 
deckle edges, machine-made paper two. 

Dedication — A note following the title page 
of a book, in which the author inscribes 
the work to a particular person or persons. 
The modern dedication is usually brief, 
set in plain roman capitals, with some- 
times a line of black-letter, and occupies 
the middle of the third page. Old-time 
dedications were addressed to patrons 
who were persons of rank, recommending 
the book to their protection and favor. 

Degener Press — See Liberty Press. 

Dele [p] — A proofreader's mark, signifying 

to take out, to expunge. 
Delete — To omit, to take out words or letters. 

Delivery Board — The table on a press where 
sheets are placed after printing. 

Delphin — A name applied to an edition of 
Latin classics made by order of Louis XIV 
of France for the Dauphin, and esteemed 
for accuracy and fine workmanship. 

Demy — A writing-paper size, 16x21 inches. 
In England the size is 15% x 20 inches. 



50 The Printer's Dictionary 

Descenders — The letters which have part of 
their faces below the line ; g p q y, etc. 

Detergent — A prepared wash for cleaning 
ink or grease from type, etc. 

Devil — The errand-boy or youngest appren- 
tice in a printing office. Various accounts 
have been given of the origin of the term. 
One is that the early printer was supposed 
by superstitious persons to produce copies 
from manuscript with marvelous rapidity 
by the aid of the black art, whence the 
devil was deemed his natural assistant, 
and this word was applied to printers' ap- 
prentices. Another story is that the term 
originated with Aldus Manutius, who, 
when he commenced the printing business 
in Venice, had in his employ, or rather in 
his possession, a small negro boy, who be- 
came known over the city as the " little 
black devil," a superstition having been 
circulated that Aldus was invoking the 
aid of the black art, and that the little 
negro was the embodiment of Satan. 

De Vinne — A name given to a series of bold- 
faced roman type which has been popular 
for the past fifteen years : De Vinne. So 
named in compliment to Mr. Theo. L. De 
Vinne, the well-known New York printer. 

Dextrine — A substance resembling gum- 
arabic, used in sizing paper, for gumming 
stamps, labels, and in book-binding. 



of Technical Terms 51 

Diceresis — Two dots placed over the second 
of two adjacent vowels to denote that they 
are to be pronounced separately: coexist, 
cooperate, preeminent. 

Diagonal Indention — When lines of type are 
so arranged that they follow 

Diagonally under Diagonally under 

each other like or each other like 

these three lines these three lines 

Diamond — The smallest size of type usually 
cast, equal to about 4^ points ; not often 
used, except for notes and references in 
small books. 

Diary — A memorandum book arranged so 
as to give a space for each day, week, or 
month of the year. 

Die Stamping — Frequently employed for note 
paper, envelopes, and cards, the printing, 
or stamping, being done in relief by means 
of engraved dies. The die is usually a 
piece of steel having the letters or design 
cut in it ; the engraved part is then cov- 
ered with ink, the paper placed on it, and 
the stamping done by means of a counter 
die of a hardened plastic substance, which 
embosses the sheet. 

Diphtho?ig — Two vowels joined together: JE 
CE ae ce ; chiefly in words from the Latin. 
Modern usage often discards them, as in 
Caesar for Caesar, esthetic for aesthetic. 



52 The Printer's Dictionary 

Direction Word — In old-time books, the first 
word or syllable of a succeeding page 
placed at the bottom of the page, to direct 
the reader to the page next in order ; the 
catch word. 

Dis. — Abbreviation for the word distribute. 

Dished — A defect in an electrotype or other 
printing surface, in which its center is 
lower than the edge. 

Display — Type composition in which vari- 
ous sizes and faces are used, like adver- 
tisements, title pages, catalogues, etc., in 
distinction from straightaway work, which 
is composition in one size and one face in 
uniform lines and paragraph form. 

Display Type — A general term for those 
styles of heavier type-faces designed for 
headings, advertisements, etc., as distin- 
guished from those used for plain reading 
matter ; commonly put up by founders in 
small assortments called job fonts. 

Distribution — To put types back in their re- 
spective cases and boxes after use. In 
press-work, the uniform spreading of ink 
on rollers and face of the printing form. 

Distributing Roller — On cylinder and some 
small presses, the roller which moves 
diagonally back and forth over the inking 
plate or other rollers, to distribute the ink 
evenly ; the distributor, the vibrator. 



of Technical Terms 53 

Division of Words — The separation of words 
on syllables at the ends of lines ; a neces- 
sary custom in type composition, in order 
to make lines of equal length and to avoid 
as much as possible unequal spacing be- 
tween words. This is one of the most per- 
plexing duties of the compositor, as there 
are no clearly defined rules for his guid- 
ance ; the custom in one establishment, or 
the wishes of one author or proof-reader, 
may and often do differ from those of 
another. 

Dodger — A small hand-bill, formerly used 

for theatrical advertising, and distributed 

about the streets. 
Dog-eared — Having the corners of the leaves 

turned down and soiled by careless or 

long-continued usage. 

Dollar Mark — [$] Representing amounts 
of money in America ; it is placed close 
to the figures, without spacing, thus $25. 

Domesday Book — A book compiled by order 
of William the Conqueror, containing a 
register of all the lands in England. It 
was printed in 1873 m fac-simile, as far 
as that could be done with types. 

Donatus — A boy's Latin grammar, which de- 
rived its name from its author, a Roman 
of the fourth century. It was frequently 
printed about the time of the invention of 
printing. 



54 The Printer's Dictionary 

Dotted Rule — Brass rules with dotted face, 
for blank work, to serve as a guide for 
writing on : 

Dot Leaders — Those cast with dots thus . . . 
in distinction from hyphen leaders 

Double — Words repeated in composition by 
error ; a doublet. Also when a sheet has 
been printed twice, or mackled. The term 
double is applied in many cases before 
other words, to denote double quantities, 
sizes, or qualities, such as double-pica, 
double-frame, double-demy, double-cylin- 
der, double-rolling, double-rule, double- 
title, etc. 

Double-column — When the measure extends 
across the width of two regular columns, 
as in newspaper work. 

Double Dagger [$] — See Reference Marks. 

Double Letters — Diphthongs ae oe, and 61 R 

in old-style types. 
Dove-tail — A form made up of pages which 

do not follow each other in consecutive 

order. 

Drag — When the end of a sheet printed on 
a cylinder press does not print clean and 
sharp, because of not being held close to 
the cylinder, it is said to drag. 

Drawing Paper — Usually hand-made of the 
best material and well sized, for drawing 
upon. 



of Technical Terms 55 

Draw-sheet — The top sheet, drawn on over 
the make-ready on a press. 

Drive Out — To space words widely to fill 
the line and drive out a word or syllable 
to the next line. In wide-leaded matter 
prefer to drive out ; in solid matter prefer 
to take in, by thin-spacing. 

Drive — In type founding, when the engraver 
has cut the punch its soft steel is hard- 
ened until it has strength to penetrate cop- 
per. It is then punched into a flat, narrow 
bar of cold-rolled copper, making a re- 
versed duplicate of the letter on the punch. 
This is known as a drive, or a strike, and 
when finished and adjusted for the mould 
it becomes a matrix, in which the face of 
the type is formed. 

Drum Cylinder— A printing press having a 
large cylinder, the printing surface occu- 
pying only less than one-half of its surface, 
and making an impression at each revo- 
lution. See Cyli?tder Presses. 

Dry Colors — Finely-powdered pigments, ap- 
plied with a brush or pad to sheets printed 
with varnish or sizing, as is commonly 
done with bronze powders. The object is 
to secure color with a brighter luster than 
when the coloring pigment is mixed with 
oil like ordinary printing ink. 

Dry Point — A sharp needle used in copper- 
plate engraving, to cut fine lines and dots. 



56 The Printer's Dictionary 

Dry Pressing — To press out the indentations 
made by types after printing, so that the 
printed sheet is perfectly smooth. This is 
done in a strong screw or hydraulic press, 
the printed sheets being placed between 
sheets of hard-rolled cardboard. 

Dryer — A varnish preparation for mixing 
with ink to increase its drying properties. 

Drying Rack — A stand or frame with shelves 
for holding printed sheets in small lots 
when they come from the press until the 
ink dries. Freshly-printed sheets must be 
handled carefully to prevent the set-off of 
ink from one sheet to the back of another ; 
the finer finished the paper, the greater is 
the care required. 

Ductor — The reservoir which holds the ink 
in a printing machine ; the ink fountain. 

Duck Roller — A roller on a hinged frame, 
which supplies ink from the fountain-roller 
to the distributing-roller or the ink-table. 

Dummy — A few pages or parts of a proposed 
book, pamphlet, or periodical, put together 
so as to show in advance the plan, design, 
or arrangement to be followed ; it may be 
sketched with pen or pencil, sample lines 
or pages printed, or proof-sheets mounted 
on it, the intent being to show how the 
work will be when completed. A dummy 
is now a necessary preliminary to all 
printed work of importance. 



of Technical Terms 57 

— — — ' " — — — 

Duodecimo — A sheet folded so as to make 
twelve leaves, usually indicated as 12 mo. 
or 12 . It is smaller than octavo (8vo) 
and, like it, is now of no fixed dimensions, 
being about 5x7^. 

Dupe — An abbreviation of duplicate, the sec- 
ond proof taken of type-matter which is 
to be paid for by the piece. The dupes of 
a compositor's work are, at the end of the 
day or the week, pasted together and 
measured, and the charge therefor made 
accordingly at the stated price per thou- 
sand ems of the type set. 

Dutchman — A joke-name for a small piece of 
wood or tooth-pick driven into a part of a 
type-form that is imperfectly justified, to 
make it tight. Its use is not creditable. 

Dutch Paper — A rough, deckle-edged, hand- 
made paper, made in Holland, imported 
and used for occasional work of rugged 
old-style character. 

Dwell — When the impression of a form on 
the press is at its maximum. 

Duplex Card or Paper — That having the two 
sides colored differently. 

Early IMPRESSION— Said of a print 
from an engraving ; it is considered more 
valuable than a later impression when the 
plate has become worn. 



58 The Printer's Dictionary 

Eclectic — Selected ; applied to magazines and 
books whose matter is selected and re- 
printed from other publications. 

Edition — The number of copies of a book, 
magazine, or newspaper printed at one 
time. 

Edition de luxe — Books printed in specially 
sumptuous or elaborate style, with fine 
paper and bindings, and in comparatively 
small editions. 

Editor — The chief writer for a newspaper 
or other publication, or he who is respon- 
sible for its policy or management ; also 
the person who revises or prepares copy 
for publication. 

Editorials — The articles in a newspaper or 
magazine which express the opinions of 
the editor ; usually occupying a page or 
department by itself. In newspapers the 
editorials are usually in larger type than 
ordinary matter. 

Eidograph — An instrument for copying draw- 
ings on the same or different scale ; a form 
of pantagraph. 

Eighieenmo — A sheet folded into eighteen 
leaves, or thirty-six pages ; generally writ- 
ten i8mo; octodecimo. 

Eights — A familiar term in imposition for 
sheets of octavo. 

Electro-etching — A method of etching upon 
metal by electro-chemical decomposition. 






of Technical Terms 59 

Electricity in Paper — This causes the printer 
much trouble at times and under certain 
conditions. The electricity is generated in 
the paper during manufacture and remains 
stored while in bulk and until dissipated 
or released. The handling of the sheets 
and theirpassage through the press excites 
the electric fluid, causing the sheets to 
stick together so as to set-off fresh ink, to 
adhere to the press-table, and otherwise to 
become unwieldy. Weather conditions 
have much to do with the trouble, the cold 
dry atmosphere of winter tending to make 
it more difficult to get rid of the electricity, 
which passes off easier in the moist air of 
summer. In small quantities of paper it 
is easier to dissipate the fluid than when 
paper is in large bulk. Various methods 
of overcoming the trouble have been de- 
vised, but none have proved unfailing un- 
der all conditions. Wires placed against 
the bed, cylinder, or delivery-table of the 
press, to draw off the electricity, have at 
times been effective ; devices for keeping 
the air of the room moist have sometimes 
proved a remedy ; patented processes and 
chemical dissipaters have also been used. 

Electrotyped Letters — Types made by the elec- 
trotype process, as distinguished from cast 
types ; mostly ornamental initials and spe- 
cial characters, which must first have been 
engraved to furnish a form for moulding. 



6o The Printer's Dictionary 

Electrotype — A copper-faced duplicate, in 
one piece, made from a page or form of 
type, engraving, or other object which may 
be used to mould from. The process for 
making an electrotype for printing pur- 
poses is as follows : The type is locked, 
usually in small forms, in a chase, each 
page, as well as the larger blank spaces, 
having around it metal guards of the 
height of type. An impression is then 
made in a sheet of wax having its surface 
dusted with black lead or plumbago. This 
wax impression is then suspended in a 
galvanic bath in which copper is present 
in a state of solution ; the copper being 
affected by electricity, leaves the solution 
and deposits itself in minute particles upon 
the face of the mould. When the copper 
film is thick enough it is stripped from the 
mould, and after a covering of a tin com- 
pound, which acts as a solder, the film is 
backed up with melted metal resembling 
type-metal. This produces a metal plate 
with a copper face which is a duplicate of 
the original type form or engraving. The 
finishing of the plate requires beating up 
the low places to an even level, correct- 
ing defective parts, shaving the surplus 
metal from the back to make it of true and 
uniform thickness, and mounting on wood 
or otherwise to make it type-high, and 
trimming the edges. When it is intended 






of Technical Terms 61 

to use the electroplates on the modern 
patented bases, or blocks, they are simply 
shaved to a required thickness and the 
edges beveled so that they may be held 
by small hooks attached to the blocks. 
Elephant — A size of writing paper, 23 x 28 
inches ; in England, the sizes of elephant 
are : printing paper 23 x 30, writing paper 
23 x 28, wrapping paper 24 x 34 inches. 

Elision — The cutting off or suppresion, as 
of a letter from a word which is pronounced 
in its abbreviated form : don't, o'er. 

Ellipsis — Marks indicating omission of let- 
ters, words, or paragraphs. Asterisks are 

sometimes used * * * *, dashes , 

periods , and other marks. 

Elzevir — The name of a celebrated family 
of printers in Holland during the sixteenth 
and seventeenth centuries. The name is 
now given to a style of roman type resem- 
bling that used by the Elzevirs, and which, 
in several varieties, is used for fine work. 
Called also French Elzevir and French 
Oldstyle : ELZEVIR. French Oldstyle. 

Em — The square of a type body. The com- 
mon method of measuring type composi- 
tion is by ems, the number of ems in a line 
being multiplied by the number of lines. 
The term is applied in many ways to print- 
ing material, as em-dash — , em-quad | 
(10-point), etc. 



62 The Printer's Dictionary 

Embossing — The process of impressing let- 
ters, figures, or designs in relief upon paper 
or other material. As done ordinarily in 
connection with printing, it involves the 
cutting of a metallic die, into the surface of 
which the design is made. The die being 
locked up for the press, in the same man- 
ner as a type form, and the ink rollers re- 
moved, an impression is made upon a 
tympan which is covered with a plastic 
substance into which, while soft, the die 
is pressed. This impression is then allowed 
to harden, and when properly trimmed 
forms the counter-die. The sheets to be em- 
bossed, w r hich have already been printed 
flat with the design in needed colors, are 
then fed to gauges which register the em- 
bossing die to the printed design. Various 
methods are employed for making counter- 
dies for embossing, but all methods require 
the engraved, stamped, or otherwise cut 
die for the design. Printing for the blind 
is embossed with special types, and re- 
quires a leaf for each page of such work. 

Embossed Imprint — A method by which, at 
the same time that an impression is made 
with ink, the printer's or maker's imprint 
is embossed on the sheet without color. 

Empty Case — A case without sorts or letters 
which are needed to compose the line ; it 
may have other letters but is empty of 
those required. 



of Technical Terms 63 

Embossing Press — A machine used largely 
in book binderies for impressing book 
cover designs, etc. Several styles are made, 
all of very strong and heavy construction. 
For embossing stationery, leather, and 
small work, a hand-press having a screw 
similar to a letter-press is employed. An- 
other style is like the ordinary job printing 
press, but much stronger, and is used with 
ink rollers, or when the die is embossed 
without color. Heat is necessary for stamp- 
ing gold-leaf, requiring another style of 
machine with a gas-burner arrangement 
for heating the die. See Stamping Press. 

Emerald — A size of type common in Eng- 
land, larger than nonpareil and smaller 
than minion, or about 6^-point. Formerly 
known in this country as minionette. 

En — One half the width of an em body ; in 
England the en is the unit of measuring 
type composition, instead of the em, as in 
this country. 

En-quad — The space next thicker than the 
three-to-em, and one half of the em-quad. 

Enameled Paper — A specially prepared sur- 
face, formed by a coating of clay or other 
mineral substance, and smoothed by hot 
rollers under great pressure ; used largely 
for labels and cover stock, but often diffi- 
cult to print on, as it does not readily take 
common printing ink. 






64 The Printer's Dictionary 

End Even — To finish copy even at the end 
of a line of type, without blank, or regard 
to paragraph. A practice formerly com- 
mon in newspaper offices where it was nec- 
essary to divide copy into takes ; when the 
division came in the middle of a sentence 
the compositor was required to make his 
take end even so as to join without a break 
that which followed. 

End Papers — The blank leaves at the begin- 
ning and end of a bound volume, one sheet 
being pasted down upon the boards. 

Engine-sized — When paper is made from pulp 
sized in the beating engine, in distinction 
from hand-sized or tub-sized paper, which 
is sized after it is otherwise completed. 

English — A size of type next larger than pica, 
or about 14-point. 

Engraving — The act or art of producing let- 
ters or designs on wood, metal, or other 
substances, by cutting or corrosion, for the 
purpose of being printed on paper or other 
material. The chief methods of engraving 
now practiced for illustrative purposes are : 
Steel or copper-plate engraving, which is 
hand work; wood engraving, also hand 
work; wood engraving has been largely 
superseded by photo-mechanical or pro- 
cess engraving, done by photography and 
etching acids ; and lithography, which is 
printing from specially prepared stone. 



of Technical Terms 65 

Envelope — A paper cover for a letter or other 
document, now also used for many pur- 
poses. The most common kinds are : drug, 
pay, commercial, and official. The official 
sizes are about 9 or 1 o inches long by 4 in- 
ches wide ; commercial sizes are the most 
generally used, 6 to 7 inches long by 3 ^4 to 
4 inches wide ; pay envelopes are smaller, 
drug envelopes used by apothecaries are 
still smaller. Besides these, although not 
made in such large quantities, envelopes 
are made for innumerable other purposes. 
Some envelopes are cloth-lined for greater 
security, and others are made from every 
variety of paper. They are usually packed 
in boxes of 250, 500, or 1000 envelopes. 
Stamped envelopes are furnished by the 
Government in common sizes ; these have 
the postage stamp printed on the corner 
and are furnished at a very low cost. Ordi- 
narily the printing of envelopes is not very 
desirable work, partly because of the low 
prices and also because of the difficulty of 
printing on the face of a sheet that has 
overlapping gummed edges on the back. 
What are called high-cut envelopes (that 
is, the back sheet under the flap being cut 
high so as to bring it near the edge of the 
envelope) present less trouble to the press- 
man in printing. Envelopes which have 
elaborate designs or engravings covering 
a large part of their face are only printed 



66 The Printer's Dictionary 

satisfactorily before the sheet is folded and 
gummed ; for this purpose they may be ob- 
tained flat from the makers, and after print- 
ing returned for folding and gumming. 

Equal Mark — An arithmetical sign : =. In 
the absence of the proper type the paral- 
lel mark || turned sideways may be used. 

Equivalent Weights of Paper — The difference 
in weight between two sizes of any given 
kind of paper, to compensate for a larger 
or smaller sheet. For example : A book is 
printed from stock 22 x 32 inches, weigh- 
ing 40 pounds to the ream ; it is desired to 
print another book on the same stock but 
in sheets 28x42 inches. What should be 
the weight of the latter ? 

22 X32 : 28 x 42 : : 40 : 66^. 
The area of the smaller sheet is 704 square 
inches, and of the larger 1176 square in- 
ches ; therefore, 40 pounds of the smaller 
size would be equivalent to 66^ pounds 
of the larger. 

Errata — Applied to a list of errors and cor- 
rections in a book which are of sufficient 
importance to be called to the attention of 
the reader ; sometimes inserted at the end 
of the book, in other cases at the begin- 
ning ; or printed on a slip and tipped in 
beside the page containing the error. 
Modern methods have made the need for 
errata-pages less frequent than formerly. 



of Technical Terms 67 

Error — Applied to any kind of deviation 
from correctness in type composition. 

Etching — The art or practice of producing 
figures or designs on metal, glass, or the 
like, by means of lines or strokes eaten in 
or corroded by means of some strong acid. 
The plate is first covered with varnish or 
other ground capable of resisting the acid, 
and this is then scored or scratched by a 
needle or similar instrument, so as to form 
the drawing; the plate is then covered with 
acid, which corrodes the metal in the lines 
thus laid bare. 

Even Eolios — The page-numbers of the left- 
hand pages, 2, 4, 6, etc. The odd folios are 
those of the right-hand pages, 1, 3, 5, 7, etc. 

Ex Libris — A book-plate, or label of orna- 
mental, fanciful, or significant design, 
placed inside the cover of a book to indi- 
cate the ownership. Book-lovers thus label 
the volumes of their libraries, a practice 
that has been in vogue more or less for 
centuries, and popular at the present time. 
Eminent designers and engravers have 
made plates of this class which have much 
interest for book-men and collectors. 

Excelsior — A size of type little used, one 
half the size of brevier, or about 4-point. 

Exclamation Mark [!] — In some uses called 
admiration mark. In shop parlance, often 
called the " screamer.' ' 



68 The Printer's Dictionary 

Exchange — -A newspaper sent to the office of 
another paper in exchange. An exchange 
editor or reader is one whose duty it is to 
look over other journals sent to his office, 
for the purpose of culling matters of inter- 
est or comment, for his own journal. 

Expurgated Edition — An edition of a book 
or publication in which offensive or objec- 
tionable words or expressions which ap- 
peared in other editions have been omitted. 

Extended — Applied to faces of type made 
extra broad : EXTENDED. Some- 
times called Expanded. 

Extra — An edition of a newspaper following 
the first regular edition for the day. 

Extras — The charges on composition above 
the regular or fixed charge, on account of 
additional labor, etc., as for setting tables, 
foreign languages, etc. 

Extract — A passage taken from another book 
or another author's writing ; a quotation. 

Extra Condensed — Used to describe a type 
face which has been compressed very thin 

sideways, as: Gothic Extra Condensed, a style 

used largely in narrow columns of news- 
papers and in advertising work. 



F — The lower-case f is often kerned — that 
is, has part of the face projecting over 
the body ; this overhanging beak is easily 






of Technical Terms 69 

broken off when the letter comes imme- 
diately before another tall letter, so that 
most roman fonts are supplied with com- 
binations fi fl ff ffi ffi cast on single bodies 
without kerns. These combinations are 
more familiar in ordinary reading than the 
separate letters, as will be noted in these 
examples, fine, fine, flow, flow, office, 
office, affluent, affluent. 

Facsimile — An exact reproduction ; a copy 
which cannot easily be distinguished from 
the original; often abbreviated to fac-sim. 

Face (of a type or form) — That part which 
prints, as distinguished from the shank 
and shoulder; also used to express one 
style of type from another, as plain face, 
heavy face, light face, etc. 

Fair Office — In the language of members 
of the typographical union, a fair office is 
a union office where union prices are paid, 
and an unfair office is one which is not 
governed by union rules. 

Fake — Applied to a made-up stoiy or propo- 
sition in which there is little or no truth ; 
a pretence, a cheap imitation made to look 
like the real thing. 

False Motions — The unnecessary movements 
made by some compositors in type-setting. 
Present-day workmen are not so prone to 
habits of this kind as those of the last gen- 
eration. Some of these were to bring the 



70 The Printer's Dictionary- 
type to the stick and hit it once, twice, or 
three times against the composing rule 
before leaving it in place ; to hit it on the 
centre bar of the case on its way to the 
stick; to carry it beyond the stick and put 
it in place with a flourish in the air; to 
stand before the case with a bobbing mo- 
tion, keeping time to each letter picked 
up; and other time-consuming motions 
and peculiarities which became fixed with 
those who paid little attention to acquiring 
right habits, and whose methods of setting 
type seem ludicrous to the uninitiated. 

Fanning — In counting sheets of paper, to 
brush or move them from each other so 
that the edges are separated in fan-fash- 
ion ; this may be done by grasping a quire 
or two between the fingers and turning up 
the edges with a rolling movement, bring- 
ing them up where they may be counted 
with the fingers of the other hand. 

Fat — Type composition in which there axe 
many blanks or large spaces, enabling the 
compositor to set a large number of ems 
in a given time, as large headings, poetry 
set open, double- and triple-leaded matter 
with many break-lines, cuts measured in 
with type, etc. Type set solid, with few or 
no blank-lines, is lean. 

Fat-face or Full-face — A style of type broader 
or with the heavy lines heavier than usual : 
Fat-faced letter. 



of Technical Terms 71 

Father of the Chapel — The presiding officer 
of a chapel or organization of union work- 
men in a printing office. An old-time des- 
ignation; now the chairman of the chapel. 

Fecit — A Latin word meaning " he has made 
it," frequently added to an artist's name 
on an engraving or picture. Del. {deli?i- 
eavit, "he drew it") is sometimes seen on 
old prints and drawings in similar use. 

Feeder — A person who supplies a printing 
press with paper, one sheet at a time. 
This part of printing-room work was for- 
merly considered boy's work, but the in- 
creasing size and complexity of modern 
presses now call for more skill and en- 
durance, and men of experience are now 
often required to do this work. 

Feed-board — The table on a press upon 
which white sheets are placed to be sup- 
plied sheet by sheet for printing. 

Feet (of a type) — The bottom of the shank, 
formed by breaking off the jet and groov- 
ing when the type is cast. Type that is not 
standing perfectly upright is said to be 
"off its feet." 

Figures — The ten characters commonly used 
to represent numbers are known as Arabic 
figures: 1234567890. Roman numerals 
(IVXLCDM) are often used in books 
and programs for chapter and paragraph 
numbers and other subdivisions, but they 



72 The Printer's Dictionary 

are not so clear nor convenient as the 
figures, and are not practicable for sta- 
tistical and tabular work. The Arabic 
figures are now cast for all fonts of type, 
and they occupy boxes in the same divi- 
sion of the type-case as the lower-case 
letters and points ; when the font contains 
capitals and no small letters, the accom- 
panying figures are usually kept in the 
top row of boxes above the captials. For 
most roman fonts the figures are cast on 
bodies of the uniform thickness of an en- 
quad, though they are sometimes made 
wider. Originally the Arabic figures were 
of very irregular shapes, which were grad- 
ually modified to the forms at present 
known as old-style figures: 1234567890. 
Designers of modern types have brought 
the figures into still greater uniformity in 
the modern lining figures: 1234567890. 
These two styles of figures are distinctive 
features of the old-style and the modern 
designs of type-faces; but type-founders 
have of late made old-style figures larger 
and brought them on a more uniform line : 
1234567890. For tables and for use in 
lines of capitals the figures on uniform line 
are preferred, but for frequent numbers in 
a paragraph the smaller old-style figures 
are better mates for lower-case letters. 
Fingers — The grippers on a press which 
hold the sheet when printing. 



of Technical Terms 73 

Finis — A Latin word used at the end of a 
book. Modern practice is gradually dis- 
carding its use. 

Finisher — One who finishes the binding of 
a book. Also, in electrotype work, the 
workman who, after the plate has been 
made, examines it for imperfections, level- 
ling the face, trimming, and otherwise 
preparing it for printing. 

First Form — The form which contains the 
first page of a sheet, the outside form, 
usually the one printed first. 

First Page — In imposing, the first page of a 
regular form ; in a work done in eight- 
page forms, first pages would be 1,9, 17, 
25, etc. 

First Proof — The first taken from the type; 
when errors have been marked and cor- 
rected, the second proof is a revise. 

Fist — A common name for the index-mark : 
djg^; also called a hand. 

Flat Paper — Paper in unfolded sheets. Usu- 
ally applied to all kinds of writing papers 
which are put up flat by the maker. 

Flat Cap — A size of writing paper 14x17 
inches. 

Flat Proof — A proof made without under- 
lays, overlays, or other make-ready, as of 
an engraving. 



74 The Printer's Dictionary 



Flat Tint — A light color printed from a flat 
plate, without engraved lines or other 
marks, usually to color a panel or outline. 

Flimsy — A term applied to any thin paper, 
such as telegraph copy is written on in 
newspaper offices ; tissue-paper or mani- 
fold copy. 

Flitters — See Flock Printing. 

Floating Accents — The name given in Eng- 
land to separate accent-marks which may 
be placed beside any letter needed. In 
America called piece accents : S \ A ~ m * 
Made for job faces and large types. 

Flock Printing — A method of printing with 
varnish, to which small particles of wood 
or silk are afterward made to adhere, 
somewhat in the same manner as printing 
with sizing and bronze powders or dry 
colors. Thin bits of tin, brass, and the 
like, called flitters, are also used in print- 
ing Christmas cards and other work, to 
give effects of frost, etc. 

Flong — The prepared paper used for mak- 
ing moulds for stereotypes. 

Floor Pi — Type dropped on the floor by 
careless compositors. 

Flourishes — Curved lines and ornaments 
made for use with lines of type, some- 
times of brass and in other cases of cast 
metal. Formerly popular, J^Z^\ 
but now out of style : ^^—^^^^ J/x 






of Technical Terms 75 

Floret — A small flower or part of a flower ; in 
printing, the name is given to any flower 
or leaf-shaped type ornament : jt /& ^ 

Flowers — A term given to early type orna- 
ments made for borders and decorations ; 
now commonly called borders or florets. 

Fly — The delivery apparatus on a cylinder 
press. It is usually a large frame of long 
sticks or fingers attached to a bar which 
moves on an axis, receiving the printed 
sheets one by one from the cylinder and 
flying them over upon a receiving table. 
In early days boys were often employed to 
take the printed sheets off the tympan of 
the hand-press, to expedite the work of 
the pressman ; early power-presses re- 
quired this work to be done by hand. 

Fly-leaf — A blank leaf at the beginning or 
end of a book ; it may be inserted by the 
binder, but may be a blank leaf of the first 
or last sheets of the printed work. 

Fly-title — In England this term is sometimes 
applied to the half-title or bastard-title, 
but not used in America. 

Flying a frisket — The operation of turning 
down the frisket of a hand-press at the 
same time the tympan is closed on the 
form. A skillful performance formerly 
used to hasten work but now obsolete, with 
other operations which were necessary 
when all work was done on hand-presses. 



j6 The Printer's Dictionary 






Folder — A small stick of ivory, bone, steel, 
or wood, used in folding sheets by hand. 
A printed sheet of four or more pages so 
imposed that they follow each other con- 
secutively on one side of the paper, when 
it is opened, like a railway time-table, etc. 
A folding machine is often called a folder. 

Folding Chases — A term sometimes applied 
to chases used for weekly newspapers ; 
usually in pairs, with the sides which fit 
together thinner than the others ; more 
frequently called twin chases. 

Folding Machine — A machine for folding 
printed sheets of books, magazines, and 
newspapers. For book and magazine work 
the folding machine is separate from the 
printing press, but for daily newspapers 
the folding machine is attached to the 
press, so that the paper, unwinding from 
a roll, is printed and then goes forward to 
be cut off and folded. In the book-folding 
machine the sheets are fed to gauges or 
points. A descending blade at the mid- 
dle of the sheet forces the paper through 
an opening in the table ; the paper is then 
caught by rollers or tapes which carry it 
to another fold, and so on until all are 
made. Some folding machines are made 
to attach to single- and double-cylinder 
presses, and sheets are run into them with- 
out extra feeding. Other machines fold, 
paste, and insert one sheet within another, 



of Technical Terms 77 

or within a cover. Sheets to be folded by 
machines usually require the pages im- 
posed differently than when the; folding 
is done by hand. 

Folio — A sheet folded once, consisting of 
two leaves or four pages ; usually under- 
stood as a sheet the size of 18x24 inches, 
which gives a folded leaf 18x12 inches. 
Also a leaf containing a certain number of 
words ; in English law work seventy-two 
or ninety words constitute a folio, in New 
York one hundred words. Also the con- 
secutive page-numbers of a book, pam- 
phlet, or other work. 

Folio Post — A size of writing paper 17x22 
inches. 

Follow Copy — When a compositor receives 
this instruction it indicates that in matters 
of punctuation, use of capitals, italics, style 
of type, peculiar or variable spellings, etc., 
the copy is to be his guide. In many cases 
the rules of the house, the style adopted 
for a particular work, and other matters, 
may not be observed by the writer ; or 
several writers for one work may vary 
greatly in these particulars ; so that it is 
often the compositor's duty, in setting the 
type, to make changes from copy to keep 
the work consistent. 

Font Case — For holding reserve or surplus 
sorts : oftener called sort case. 



78 The Printer's Dictionary 

Font — A complete assortment of types of 
one size and face, containing a due pro- 
portion of each letter, large and small, 
points, figures, etc. Formerly it was all 
that was cast at one time, but it is now 
understood as the assortment which is fur- 
nished by the foundry ; it may be desig- 
nated by its weight, which is the case with 
small type in large quantities, or by the 
number of letters it contains ; as in the 
case of larger sizes, used in small quan- 
tity, for jobbing, display, and advertising. 
In the latter case, the size of a font is 
usually indicated by the number of capital 
A, small capital a, and lower-case a (as 
40 A 20 a 80 a) it contains, the number of 
other letters varying according to the 
foundry's prescribed scheme. 

Foolscap — A size of writing paper 12^ x 16 
inches. In England foolscap printing 
paper is 13^ x 17 inches, writing paper 
13^ x 16^ inches. So called from a 
water-mark of fool's cap and bells used 
by old paper-makers. 

Foot-line — The bottom line on a page, usu- 
ally blank ; it may sometimes contain the 
page-number, signature-mark, etc., and 
when the last line of a paragraph will not 
come into the regular length, it may take 
the place of the foot-line, in order to pre- 
vent the paragraph ending on the top of 
the next page. 



of Technical Terms 79 

Foot-note — A note or reference at the bot- 
tom of a page, usually set in type several 
sizes smaller than the main text. 

Foot-stick — A piece of furniture, wood or 
metal, put inside of a chase at the short 
side of a form, against which quoins are 
placed to lock up. The long side has 
side-sticks. Before the introduction of 
mechanical iron quoins foot-sticks and 
side-sticks were larger at one end than 
the other, in order to form a wedge-space 
into which pieces of wood could be driven 
and thus tighten up the form. 

Fore-edge — The outer edge of a book. 

Form — A page or number of pages, engrav- 
ings, or lines of type locked in a chase 
ready for printing. When the lines of type 
have not been properly justified, or the 
furniture, side-sticks, or quoins are not 
true, the form will sometimes spring — 
that is, some part will not lay solidly on 
the bed of the press. In this case, spaces, 
quads, leads, or furniture will work up to 
the level of the type during printing and 
show on the white paper. When the form 
is taken from the imposing stone and all 
parts are of equal tightness and no types 
are loose, the form rises, or lifts. 

Form Rack — For holding forms in a slant- 
ing or perpendicular position, before or 
after use. 



80 The Printer's Dictionary 

Form Board — A shelf for holding forms ; a 
letter board. 

Format — The size, form, proportions, etc., 
of a book or other work. 

Forty-eight or <f8mo — A sheet of forty-eight 
leaves. Like other forms, usually made 
up of a number of smaller folds set into 
each other. 

Forwarding — The processes of binding a 
book, after the sheets are sewed until it is 
in the cover ; the lettering, ornamenting, 
and other work to complete it, is finishing. 

Foul Case — A type case so badly mixed in 
distributing or otherwise that it is diffi- 
cult to set from. A foul proof is one with 
many errors. 

Foundry Chase — A small chase made extra 
thick and strong, for holding forms that 
are to be moulded for electrotyping, etc. 
Forms to be moulded in wax need extra 
strong locking up to prevent letters or 
lines from pulling out when form is taken 
from the wax. 

Foundry Proof- — The final proof taken before 
sending a form to the electro foundry. 

Fount — Another spelling of font, used in 
England. 

Fountain — A reservoir for holding ink, and 
attached to the press ; usually with an ar- 
rangement of rollers which carry ink to 
the distributing table or form-rollers. 



of Technical Terms 81 

Fractions — Made in several styles. Common 
fractions like these \\ are cast in one 
piece on en bodies, and are properly used 
with modern roman figures, thus : 5£ 6-J-. 
Another kind are piece fractions, each 
figure cast separately on bodies one half 
the size of the type they are used with : 

1 2 * ¥ sV f 1 ~f-- The y ma y be com - 

bined to make any desired fraction. For 
use with old-style figures, fractions like 
these are provided, j4 % 2 A 7 A> Y% etc -> 
made in one piece on em bodies. This 
style is made both with old-style and with 
modern figures, and in open-faced matter 
gives greater clearness than the thinner 
en fraction. Another and later style are 
the self-spacing piece fractions made on 
full bodies of an en thickness ; there are 
four sets of the ten figures — one on the 
upper half of the body, 12346 , and an- 
other on the lower half, t 2 3 6 ; two other 
sets have diagonal strokes, one below and 
the other above the figure, }?$$4£6i. 
These are combined thus : ^4 % %3 *%io. 
In the absence of proper types, make- 
shift fractions like these are sometimes 
employed : 1-2, 3-4, 2-3. 

Fraktur — The name of the text or black- 
letter used for German body-type. 

Frame — The stand on which type cases are 
placed. To have a situation in a news- 
paper or book room is to u hold a frame." 



82 The Printer's Dictionary 

Friar — A light place in a printed page, 
caused by imperfect distribution or lack 
of ink. A black spot is a monk. 

Frisket — A light iron frame covered with 
paper and attached by hinges to the tym- 
pan of a hand-press, to hold the sheet in 
place and protect it while being printed. 
An impression is first made upon the 
frisket sheet and the printed portions cut 
away ; when the printing paper is placed 
upon the tympan the frisket is turned 
down, exposing only the portions of the 
paper that are to be printed. In this way 
margins and blank spaces of the sheet 
are protected from the inky or oily furni- 
ture, chase, etc., and the sheet is laid on 
the form with less liability of slurring than 
when laid on loosely. A frisket is often 
employed on rotary job presses, either 
wholly or partially covering the printed 
sheet, as may be required. In this case, 
the frisket sheet is fastened to the mov- 
able grippers. being stretched across in 
front of the form, and an impression 
made on it. The printed parts are then 
cut out, allowing the form to print on the 
white sheet lying on the tympan beneath. 

Front Pages — Those in the first half of a 
folded signature. 

Frontispiece — The picture facing the title- 
page of a book. 



of Technical Terms 83 

Fudge — To devise ; to contrive ; to make 
shift ; to work without proper tools. 

Fugitive Colors — Colors or inks which are 
not permanent, and change or fade when 
exposed to light. 

Full Color — When ample amount of ink has 
been used in printing. 

Full-face — See Fat-faced. 

Full Measure — Type composed to the full 

width of the page, and not half-measure, 

or other fractional division. 

Full Page — A page filled from top to bottom 
with type lines, as distinct from a short 
page like the first or last page of a chapter. 

Full Point or Full Stop — The period is often 
thus called. 

Full Press — When printing was done on 
hand-presses, two men were accustomed 
to operate it — one to roll the ink, the 
other to put in the sheet and pull the 
impression ; this was working a full press. 

Furniture — In printing-office speech this 
term is given to all pieces of wood and 
metal designed to fill blank spaces be- 
tween pages and around type-forms when 
locked in a chase. It is made in many 
lengths and widths, but the sizes are usu- 
ally mutiples of 12 -point, or pica. The 
largest pieces are of cherry or pine, three 
feet long and ten picas wide. Thin strips 
of wood of the width of great-primer (or 



84 The Printer's Dictionary 

18-point) and thinner are known as reglet. 
Metal furniture, cast with hollow spaces 
to lighten its weight, is usually not longer 
than one foot, and ten picas wide. It has 
the advantages over wood of greater ac- 
curacy in body, not warping when wet, 
and yielding less under the pressure of 
locking up. It is made in several styles, 
the most common being hollow frames, 
with bars or braces lengthwise and cross- 
wise in the larger pieces. Quotation furni- 
ture is hollow on one side only, the top 
being solid, like a large quad. Reversible 
furniture is concaved on the top and bot- 
tom, but with a solid area, and presents 
both ends of each piece shaped like this : 
hH . This kind is serviceable for gutter- 
margins and in other places where lock-up 
pressure is needed only on two opposite 
sides. The smallest piece of cast metal 
furniture is 3 x 2 picas, and other sizes in- 
crease by picas and multiples of pica in 
length and width. Labor-saving fonts con- 
tain an assortment of different sizes which 
may be combined in many ways. Steel 
furniture has now become common, and 
has advantages in filling large blanks. It 
consists of pieces of machine - finished 
steel, in pairs, with notched ends so that 
they fit into each other ; thus, four pieces 
are placed around the blank space, form- 
ing a hollow square, and held together 
firmly by the pressure of locking up. 



of Technical Terms 85 

GALLEY — The shallow tray used by com- 
positors to hold type after the lines have 
been set in the composing-stick. It con- 
sists usually of a thin brass bottom with 
three perpendicular sides a little more 
than half an inch high ; the fourth side 
is open to permit of the type, when tied 
up, being pushed off on to the imposing- 
stone or elsewhere. The usual full-length 
galley is about two feet long and from 
four to seven inches wide, but many wider 
sizes may now be obtained. Short, wide 
galleys of various sizes are used by job 
compositors for making-up book pages 
and for other special uses. Galleys made 
entirely of wood, and others made of wood 
and zinc are sometimes used, but the 
most serviceable galleys are of brass or 
brass-lined. 

Galley Press — A proof-press upon which the 
galley of type may be placed and proof 
taken. It consists of a flat iron bed with 
two sides high enough to form tracks 
upon which an iron cylinder, covered with 
cloth or felt, is made to move ; when the 
type has been rolled with ink, the sheet 
of paper is laid on, and the cylinder is 
rolled over to make the impression ; a style 
of proof-press used mostly in newspaper 
and book rooms. 

Galley Slaves — A term of derision formerly 
applied to compositors. 



86 The Printer's Dictionary 

Galley Rack — Made in several forms, for 
holding galleys of composed type. It has 
brackets or shelves which hold the galley 
tilted sideways, so that type lines will 
stand securely against the lower side of 
the galley. 

Galley Rest — A pair of brackets or similar 
attachment placed on the compositor's 
stand to hold the galley, so that the cases 
may be free for composing. 

Galley-lock — A device attached to or placed 
in a galley, to hold the composed type 
securely while it is being proved or wait- 
ing ; made in many varieties, usually con- 
sisting of a long side-stick with a clamp- 
ing arrangement on the sides and at the 
foot of the type matter. 

Gaily Universal Press — Invented by Merritt 
Gaily of New York, in 1869 > a platen job 
press of strong construction and embody- 
ing several distinctive principles. 

Galvanoglyphy — A method of etching upon 
a zinc plate covered with varnish. 

Galvanography — A process of making cop- 
per-plate engravings by the action of a 
galvanic battery. 

Galvanoplastic Process — A method of obtain- 
ing electrotypes of fossil fishes and simi- 
lar objects, which can be printed on a 
typographic press. 



of Technical Terms 87 

Gathering — In book-binding, to collect one 
copy of each signature to make the com- 
plete book. The folded sheets or signa- 
tures are placed in piles in their proper 
order, each pile containing the copies of 
one signature ; one copy is taken from 
each pile, beginning with the first signa- 
ture and ending with the last. This oper- 
ation is repeated, each round of the piles 
making a complete book. This work is 
usually performed by girls, who pass up 
and down beside a long table to collect 
the sheets. In some establishments large 
editions are gathered from a moving table 
or platform upon which the signatures are 
placed, thus enabling a person to gather 
while seated or standing still. 

Gauge — A piece of wood or metal (reglet, 
slug, or brass rule) used to determine the 
length of pages, etc. Also a piece of wood, 
cardboard, or metal (usually a quadrat) 
pasted on the tympan-sheet of a job press 
as a guide to feed the sheets to. 

Gauge Pin — A flat pin inserted in the tym- 
pan sheet, as a feeding guide ; made in 
many varieties. 

Gelatine Printing — Gelatine is a refined form 
of glue and is used for many purposes in 
printing. It is the basis of the process 
known as the hektograph, by which any- 
thing written with copying ink, after being 
transferred to a sheet of gelatine, may be 



88 The Printer's Dictionary 

again transferred from the gelatine to 
sheets of blank paper. Several processes 
of photo-gelatine printing, known as alber- 
type, collotype, heliotype, etc., are very 
much like lithography, a coating of gela- 
tine upon a sheet of glass or metal being 
used instead of the lithographic stone. The 
gelatine method is also used to produce a 
plate which may be moulded and the 
mould used to produce an electrotype of 
the subject in relief. By etching through a 
gelatine film on copper an intaglio plate is 
made, which is known as a photo-gravure. 
See Hektograph, Heliotype, Photo-gravure, 
Process Engraving. 

Genealogical Work — This class of printing 
differs from ordinary book work because 
of the excessive use of abbreviations, pe- 
culiar indentions, different sizes of types, 
use of capitals, italics, etc. It often requires 
the re-printing of old documents, with old- 
time spelling and phraseology, and usually 
has pages of difficult pedigree charts. 

Geometrical Signs — See Mathematical Signs. 

Get In or Take In — To thin space in setting 
type, so that a word or syllable may come 
into the line. To drive out is to wide space. 
A general rule for compositors, when lines 
are set solid, is to get in a word if possible 
by thin spacing ; if lines are wide-leaded, 
to drive out — that is, space wider than the 
regulation three-to-em space. 









of Technical Terms 89 

Glazed Board — The sheets of mill-board 
used by binders, and for packing tympans 
and printing cylinders, etc. 

Glazed Paper — A paper with hard, glossy 
surface, usually finished on one side only, 
used for box labels, etc. 

Gloss Ink — An ink containing extra quantity 
of varnish which gives it a glossy appear- 
ance when dry ; much used for printing 
book and pamphlet covers. 

Glossary — A dictionary of difficult, obscure, 
or antiquated terms, or words of special 
meaning, in any language, book, or calling. 

Glycerine — A sweet, viscid liquid, oily, non- 
crystalizing, and colorless. It is used in 
many ways in printing rooms. Glycerine 
rubbed on the tympan sheet is better than 
common oil to prevent offset in backing 
up a sheet. Glycerine is used in the com- 
position of rollers, and, when rubbed on 
their surface, is useful in reviving old rol- 
lers. It is also used to thin out and render 
workable many kinds of inks. 

Gold Bronze — A fine powder used in print- 
ing ; it is dusted on after the sheet has 
been printed with sizing. See Bronzing. 

Gold Ink — Ink of golden color, used as a 
cheap substitute for gold bronze and siz- 
ing ; it gives very little lustre, except when 
printed on glossy paper. 

Good Color — Printing neither too black nor 
too light. 



90 The Printer's Dictionary 

Gold Leaf — Very thin leaves of beaten gold) 
sometimes used in typography, but mostly 
for book covers and edges. The ancient 
Egyptians hammered out gold leaf between 
pieces of the intestines of an ox, while the 
Greeks and Romans employed parchment. 
This process is still adhered to, as no other 
has been invented to supersede hand work 
in beating the leaf to the required thinness. 
The beaten leaves are laid in books, the 
paper of which is rubbed with chalk to 
prevent the leaf from sticking to it. When 
gold leaf is used for book covers, a dried 
glaire is first put on the cloth, the teaf laid 
on and the impression made with a hot die 
or a type-form. 

Golden Type — The name given by William 
Morris to a style of type designed by him in 
1 89 1 , based on the roman type of Nicholas 
Jenson, an early Venetian printer. Familiar 
now as Jenson Oldstyle and by other names. 

Golding Jobber — A platen job press made in 
several sizes, from 8x12 inches to 15x21 
inches, by Golding & Co. of Boston. 

Gordon Press — A popular platen press in- 
vented by George P. Gordon about 1858. 
Several styles are made by different manu- 
facturers, based on the principle of the old 
Gordon — that is, automatic closing and 
opening of bed and platen, rollers moving 
up and down over the form, carrying ink 
from a revolving disc above, etc. 



of Technical Terms 91 

Good Copy — When it is plain, and carefully 
prepared, so as to give the compositor 
little or no trouble. 

Goose — The abbreviation for wayzgoose, a 
festival given to their workmen by master- 
printers in England. 

Gothic — Type-founders and printers in this 
country use this word to describe a style 
of type-face of the plainest and simplest 
form, having no serifs or other useless 
strokes, and with lines of unvarying thick- 
ness: GOTHIC TYPES. English printers 
call this style of type sans-serif. Among 
bibliographers and scholars the name 
gothic is applied to certain old style forms 
of black-letter, which is the true gothic 
character. The gothic types of this coun- 
try are made in many varieties, described 
as heavy, or black, light, extended, con- 
densed, extra condensed, italic or sloping, 
as well as by other distinctive names. 
They are used very largely in newspaper 
and other advertising, and in commercial 
and poster printing, but are not accept- 
able for book work. 

Great Primer — A size of type nearly equiv- 
alent to 18-point; two-line bourgeois. 

Green — An inking roller is said to be green 
when it is new ; if not properly seasoned 
it may remain green, and in warm, damp 
weather will cause trouble by not taking 
up and distributing the ink properly. 



92 The Printer's Dictionary 

Grippers — On job presses, the iron fingers 
attached to the platen to keep the sheet 
in place and take it off the type after the 
impression; on cylinders, the apparatus 
which grips and carries the sheet around 
to the impression. 

Gripper Margin — The edge of a sheet that 
is caught by the grippers on a cylinder 
press. The gripper margin of the form is 
that nearest the grippers when they carry 
the sheet around to be printed. 

Ground Block — A block used to print a tint 
or flat color, upon which other colors are 
afterward to be printed ; a tint-block. 

Grover Composing Stick — Made of steel, hav- 
ing the knee held in place by a clamp, in- 
stead of a screw, which secures it to the 
back. 

Guards or Guard-lines — Strips of metal, type- 
high or a little higher, placed around type 
forms which are to be moulded for elec- 
trotyping ; sometimes called bearers. They 
serve to protect the edges of the plate, 
as well as aid in securing a mould of even 
depth on the edge and center of the form. 
In book-binding, guards are strips of 
paper inserted in the backs of books for 
plates to be pasted on. 

Guide — An arrangement for holding the 
sheet of copy on the upper case. It may 
be a simple piece of reglet or slug held by 
a string, or a more elaborate affair such 



of Technical Terms 93 

as is furnished by supply houses. It is use- 
ful when the sheet of copy is large, with 
much small writing or figures in tabular 
form, as it helps to indicate, without loss 
of time, the place at which the compositor 
is setting, but for ordinary copy a guide is 
liable to be more bothersome than useful. 
Feed guides or gauges, to place the sheets 
against, are fastened on the tympan of job 
presses ; cylinder presses that print single 
sheets also have guides for feeding sheets 
to, so that the printing may be in exactly 
the same place on each sheet. 

Gummed Paper — Made in various colors, 
but usually of strong quality, for labels, 
etc. It is gummed in large sheets before 
printing, and if not skillfully handled is 
very troublesome to feed into the press, 
because of its tendency to curl up when 
exposed to air. 

Guillemets — French quotation marks. They 
differ from those used in English or Ger- 
man, their form being like this : • » 

Gutter — The blank space which gives the 
back, or binding, margin of a book sheet. 
Each page of a book or pamphlet has a top 
margin, an outside margin, a foot margin, 
and back or gutter margin. See Imposition. 

Guttersnipes — Small hand-bills and other 
advertisements pasted on the pavements, 
along the edges of gutters, etc. A method 
of advertising not now common. 



94 The Printer's Dictionary 

Gutter Sticks — The furniture used to make 
the back margins of book pages. 

" — In type-founding the capital H and 
lower-case m are first made to line at the 
bottom, and the position of all other char- 
acters fixed by these standards — the H 
determining the height of all tall letters, 
and the m the height of the body-part of 
the small letters. For this reason, type- 
founders require a sample H and m of 
fonts for which extra letters or sorts are 
ordered. The adoption of the new uni- 
form lining systems, known as American 
Line, Standard Line, Uniform Line, etc., 
by which all type-faces of certain classes 
on the same body are cast to line exactly 
with each other, makes this requirement 
unnecessary when ordering sorts of these 
"lining" faces. 

Hair Spaces — Very thin spaces, less than the 
five-to-em in the smaller sizes of types ; 
for large sizes pieces of leads and cards 
are used for hair spaces. Copper and brass 
spaces, one-half point and one point in 
thickness, are made for sizes of 12 -point 
and larger. Hair spaces greatly facilitate 
the work of letter-spacing and justifying, 
but they are sparingly provided in the 
average composing room, because very 
few compositors will care for them prop- 
erly. See Copper Thin Spaces. 



of Technical Terms 95 

Hair-line — Used to describe any very fine 
or delicate line in type, brass rule, or en- 
graving ; commonly applied to any char- 
acter which is very light throughout. 

Half Case — A type case half the regular 
length, or about 16^ inches. 

Half Chase — One of a pair of chases which 
are to be used together, as on the flat bed 
of a cylinder press. They are usually made 
with the sides which lay together thinner 
and a little higher than the other parts. 
Sometimes one chase will have projecting 
pins which fit into notches of its mate. 

Half diamond Indention — When successive 
lines are indented at both ends, each 
one being shorter than the preced- 
ing line, like this paragraph; 
common in title-pages. 

Half-title — The title put at the head of the 
first chapter of a book ; now often applied 
to the bastard title, or brief title which 
precedes the main title page of a book. 

Halftone — An engraved plate made by pho- 
tographic and chemical methods, in which 
the surface or printing part is composed 
of a series of fine dots. A halftone proc- 
ess plate is made by photographing the 
picture through a screen interposed be- 
tween the copy and sensitive plate in a 
camera. This screen is placed near the 
plate and, the light passing through it, 
the object on the negative is broken up 



96 The Printer's Dictionary 

into a mass of minute squares, or dots, 
which are larger or smaller as the corre- 
sponding parts of the copy are darker or 
lighter. This screened negative is then 
placed beside a polished, sensitized cop- 
per plate, and after exposure to light it is 
further developed and manipulated so as 
to protect the dots from the action of the 
acid with which it is afterward etched. 
After the etching is completed the plate 
is trimmed and mounted type-high. 

Half Sheet — When a book form is imposed 
so that all the pages of a sheet are in one 
form ; an impression being made, the sheet 
is turned and another impression made 
on the back, thus making two copies on 
one sheet ; when cut in two, each half sheet 
contains an impression of all the pages 
in the form. This is the most common 
method of imposition, as it permits of more 
certain register and errors in imposition or 
margins are more readily discovered. 

Hamilton Job Case — A full-size type case for 
holding only capitals, points, and figures, 
in which the boxes are enlarged to twice 
the usual width ; made by the Hamilton 
Manufacturing Co. of Wisconsin. 

Handbill — A small printed advertisement 
or notice, usually on common news or book 
paper, and intended to be passed to per- 
sons on the street, left at doors, or posted 
on walls. 






of Technical Terms 97 

Hand — The index mark 02P^ is sometimes 
so called. 

Handful — A quantity of type which is taken 
in the hand at one time without being tied 
with a cord, when distributing or making 
up ; usually three or four inches of a col- 
umn or small page. 

Hand-inker — A hand roller for inking type. 
When printing was done chiefly on hand- 
presses many contrivances were invented 
whereby the inking could be done by the 
one man who operated the press, in order 
to dispense with the second man or boy. 
These contrivances were usually frames 
or stands placed on the side opposite the 
pressman, and held two or more rollers 
with ink distributed upon them which 
could be pulled back and forth across 
the form ; later devices enabled them to 
be worked automatically, as when the bed 
of the press was rolled out a pulley was 
wound up which caused the roller to pass 
over the form when the f risket was raised. 

Hand Letters — Types fixed on handles, to be 
stamped by hand, used by book binders ; 
they are usually made of brass, because 
they must be heated for gold stamping. 

Hanging Indention — That form of paragraph 
which is set with the first line full length 
and subsequent lines all indented, as in 
these pages ; usually employed in diction- 
aries, catalogues, price-lists, etc. 



98 The Printer's Dictionary 

Hand-made Paper — That which is made en- 
tirely by hand, in distinction from paper 
made by machinery. The slow and tedious 
process of making paper by hand renders 
it too expensive for ordinary use, and it is 
chiefly employed for choice work in small 
quantities. It is made in smaller sheets 
than the machine-made product, is of 
stronger quality and rougher surface, and 
has deckle edges. 

Hand-press — That style of press upon which 
all or nearly all the operations are per- 
formed by manual labor. It was the first 
form of the printing press, and consisted 
of an upright wooden frame between the 
posts of which a plane surface (the bed) 
with the type-form upon it, was placed ; 
above the bed was another flat surface, 
face down, which was operated by a screw 
or contrivance of levers, by which the im- 
pression was made upon the face of the 
type. The early hand-press was made en- 
tirely of wood ; later a stone was used for 
the bed, and the bed was made to move in 
and out from under the platen, or impres- 
sion surface, to facilitate inking and put- 
ting on and taking off the sheets. About 
1800 Lord Stanhope, an Englishman, 
made several improvements in the hand- 
press, substituting iron for wood and ar- 
ranging a series of levers by which a 
stronger impression could be made with 
less labor. Since then many varieties of 






of Technical Terms 99 

hand-presses have been made, and several 
styles of iron machines are in common use 
for pulling proofs and similar work in 
printing offices everywhere. 

Harris Rule Case — A popular style of case 
for holding small assortments of labor- 
saving brass rules ; it is quarter the size of 
a regular case, and four of them will set 
into a blank case. Because of its small 
size it is convenient to carry from place 
to place or to lay on the compositor's stand 
while he is using it. 

Hard Packing — In making ready a form on 
the press, the sheets of paper and card- 
board which cover the platen or cylinder 
may be hard or soft according to the 
nature of the work. Thus engravings, new 
type faces, etc., on smooth, dry paper are 
printed from hard packing in order to give 
sharp, clear impressions. Soft packing is 
employed for forms containing a mixture 
of old, worn type, stereotypes, and for 
work which must be hurried, like newspa- 
pers and posters. See Making Ready. 

Hard Paper — That which has a hard, smooth 
surface, mostly writing paper, which, be- 
cause of its sizing, is harder to print upon 
than the ordinary book paper ; it requires 
a special ink and a stronger impression. 

Head-band — The piece of silk or cotton used 
to give ornamental finish at the top and 
bottom of the back of a bound book. 



ioo The Printer's Dictionary 

Head — The top of a page or book, or the title 
of an article in a newspaper, etc. 

Head and Tail — The top and bottom of a 
book. 

Heading Chase — A long, narrow chase used 
for locking up blank-book headings and 
similar work. 

Head-line — The top-line or title of a news- 
paper or book page ; the heading of a 
notice or article. 

Head-piece — The ornamental panel or pic- 
ture placed at the top of a page in a book, 
usually at the beginnings of chapters, 
where the open space left by the sinking 
of the heading is utilized for decoration. 
Head-pieces, tail-pieces and initials are 
used to give variety to the text of plain 
type pages ; stock patterns and conven- 
tionalized designs are common, although 
many works are now decorated with spe- 
cial designs appropriate for the text. The 
most pleasing effects are obtained when 
the head-pieces, initials, and tail-pieces of 
a book are uniform in style and not too 
prominent or obtrusive. 

Head of the Sheet — In presswork, the edge of 
the sheet which is fed to the lower guides. 
The corresponding part of the form is the 
head of the form. 

Heap — This term is often applied to the 
quantity of white paper given at one time 
to the pressman to print. 



of Technical Terms 101 

Hectograph or Hektograph — A copying pro- 
cess for multiplying written or printed 
copies by means of a sheet of gelatine. The 
writing is done on a sheet of paper with 
copying ink ; this sheet is then laid face 
down on the gelatine, which receives the 
ink ; when fresh sheets are pressed upon 
the gelatine thus treated the writing is 
transferred to them, and copies are thus 
duplicated till the ink is exhausted; twenty 
to a hundred copies may be made from one 
prepared pad. See Gelatine Printing. 

Height-to-Paper — The height of a type com- 
pared with its mates. Type-founders in 
this country have a standard for height- to- 
paper which is 92 /ioo of an inch ; but many 
causes interfere, during manufacture and 
afterward, w T hich make variations from 
this standard quite common. Types made 
at different times, or from different moulds 
and matrices, or because of differences of 
temperature at casting, will often show in- 
equalities in height; types which have been 
copper-faced or nickeled will be slightly 
higher because of the additional film on 
the original face ; old or worn types w 7 hen 
used with new will be lower. These and 
other causes tend to make the face of a 
form composed of many kinds of types 
and engravings more or less uneven and 
add greatly to the work of making ready 
on the press. See Making Ready. 



102 The Printer's Dictionary 

Heliogravure — A French process of photo- 
graphing and etching pictures on copper ; 
a print made by this method. 

Heliotype Printing — A method of printing 
from a gelatine film upon which the pic- 
ture has been transferred by photography. 
From an ordinary negative is made a posi- 
tive from which a direct impression in ink 
can be made on a printing press. See Gel- 
atine Printing. 

Hell or Hell-box — The box or receptacle into 
which broken or discarded type is thrown ; 
sometimes the "old shoe" or "boot." 

Hempel Quoin — A metal quoin used for lock- 
ing up forms for printing. It consists of 
two wedge-shaped pieces which fit into 
each other so that when they are moved 
laterally by means of a key the thickness 
of the quoin is increased. It was invented 
by Henry A. Hempel about 1878, and has 
since been generally used in all American 
printing offices. 

Hens — The end-pieces of the brace ; f s 

, K s ; the middle-piece is the cock. 

Hiatus — An omission or defect in written or 
printed text, where some part is lost or 
effaced. 

Hieroglyphic — A sacred character; origin- 
ally, the picture-writing of ancient Egyp- 
tian priests. In modern use, any character 
which has, or is supposed to have, a hid- 
den or mysterious meaning. 



of Technical Terms 



High-to-line — When a letter or word is above 
the line of its fellows ; like this it is low- 
to-line. 

High Spaces, Quads, and Leads — Used in type 
composition when it is to be electrotyped ; 
they are nearly as high as the shoulder of 
the type and thus leave no small holes (as 
in the case of ordinary low spaces and 
quads) into which the moulding wax finds 
its way to render good moulding difficult. 
Low spaces, quads, and leads are neces- 
sary when the type is to be printed from 
direct, and much electrotyping is done 
from forms thus set ; but for fonts of type 
which are to be used exclusively for elec- 
trotyping, such as books and periodicals 
of large circulation, high spaces and leads 
should be used. 

Hoe Press — Presses made by the celebrated 
New York firm of press makers established 
by Robert Hoe, an Englishman who came 
to this country in 1803. The first kinds 
were hand-presses, then cylinder presses, 
which were developed to a marvelous de- 
gree and made in a great variety of styles, 
from the single cylinder form to the mod- 
ern web perfecting machines employed on 
metropolitan newspapers. 

Hollow Quads — Large sizes are sometimes 
cast with hollow parts to make them lighter 
and economize the metal. See Quotation 
Furniture. 



104 The Printer's Dictionary 

Hook Up — The end of a line that is turned 
over and bracketed into the end of the 
line above, as in hymn-books and poetry 
set in narrow measure. 

Horn Book — A contrivance which existed 
before the invention of printing and which 
was designed to provide an indestructible 
school-book for boys. The horn-book was 
a small broadside made up of the alphabet 
at the top, in capitals and small letters, a 
list of the vowels, a number of the com- 
monest syllables, and the Lord's Prayer. 
This single leaf was set in a wooden frame, 
fashioned with a handle at the bottom 
like a lady's hand-glass. In the handle 
there was a hole for a string so that the 
horn-book could be slung to the boy's belt. 
Covering the printed sheet and protecting 
it from the boy's destructive finger-nails, 
there was a plate of horn shaved down 
thin enough to make it perfectly trans- 
parent. Sometimes the printed sheet was 
simply pasted on the plate of horn. {Ameri- 
can Dictionary of Printing and Bookmaking.^) 

Horse — An inclined table near the press 
upon which the old-time hand-pressman 
placed the white paper to be printed. 

Horsing — To charge for work before it is 
done. A journeyman doing work for which 
he has already been paid is working for a 
dead horse. In book rooms, to read proof 
without a copy-holder is horsing it. 



of Technical Terms 105 

Hot Pressing — A method of pressing out 
printed sheets by means of hot plates 
placed with the press-boards in a power- 
ful standing press. It gave a polish to 
paper which was printed while damp and 
which came out with a dull finish when 
cold pressed. This treatment is now rarely 
given to printed sheets, as hard packing, 
modern presses, careful make-ready, and 
dry, calendered paper make it unneces- 
sary. Hot rolling is done by means of 
heated cylinders. 

Hound' s-teeth — Irregular lines and gaps of 
white space which may be traced between 
the words of several lines in a page. In 
careful composition these white rivers, 
when distinct, are objectionable, and may 
often be avoided by a little re-spacing of 
one or more lines. 

Huber Press — Several styles of this cylinder 
press are made — a single cylinder, a two- 
color, and a perfecting press — all built 
upon the two-revolution principle. In the 
two-color machine the sheet is printed in 
one color by one cylinder and passed to 
the second cylinder, which has a sepa- 
rate form and inking apparatus, for the 
second color; in this way type may be 
printed with one grade or color of ink, 
and a page-border or a halftone in a dif- 
ferent ink on the same page, at a single 
handling of the sheet. In the perfecting 
machine the sheet passes between a cylin- 



106 The Printer's Dictionary 

der and its type-form on a flat bed for 
each printing. An apparatus is provided 
to prevent the set-off of the fresh ink 
from the first impression while printing 
the second side. The makers of these 
presses have, because of recent improve- 
ments, now named them Huber - Hodg- 
man Block-bearing Presses. 

Humanistic — The name given to a style of 
type designed by William Dana Orcutt 
and used at the University Press, Cam- 
bridge, Mass. The type is based upon the 
highest form of hand lettering ever at- 
tained, as shown in the fifteenth century 
Humanistic manuscripts in Florence. The 
principle on which the font is cut differs 
radically from that shown in regular mod- 
ern type — namely, the ascending letters 
are short and the descending letters long. 
The designs of the letters closely follow 
those of the hand work, there being several 
cuts of the same letter, yet avoiding the in- 
evitable slight irregularity of such work. 
The letters have a peculiar merit of retain- 
ing their individuality, considered one by 
one, yet sinking this in becoming parts of a 
word which seems as complete in itself as a 
a logotype. The type is used exclusively for 
special editions of Humanistic volumes. 

Hydraulic Press — A powerful standing press 
in which the power is communicated very 
slowly to a piston by means of water in- 
jected by a force pump into a large cylin- 



of Technical Terms 107 

der in which the piston moves. This style 
of standing press is used in large book 
printing rooms, binderies, and other places 
where great and steady pressure is re- 
quired. See Dry Pressing, Standing Press. 

Hyphen — The short dash used at the end of 
a line when a word is divided and part is 
carried over to the next line. It is also 
used to join compounded words. A num- 
ber of hyphens spaced apart with quads 
was formerly used for. leaders in indexes, 

price-lists, etc., - Hyphens are not 

now approved for this purpose, but pe- 
riods are used instead. ... In ordinary 
fonts the hyphen is of the width of a four- 
to-em or three-to-em space, and should not 
be confused with the en-dash. See Dashes. 

J — I and J, with their small forms i and j, 
were formerly regarded as the same char- 
acter, the I or i being used in many words 
where J or j are now employed. I being 
the simplest form of any written or printed 
character, it is often employed to represent 
the first of any number. In the Roman nu- 
merals I represents one, and in our com- 
mon figures the I slightly modified as to 
serifs is the figure 1. See/. 

Illuminating — The decoration of book-pages 
and manuscripts with colors, especially in 
several colors and gilding. Initial letters, 
borders, head-pieces, and pictures, were 
in early times the subjects of elaborate 



108 The Printer's Dictionary 

and costly decoration in brilliant colors. 
When books were rarer and all work was 
done by hand, single volumes were illumi- 
nated and bound in sumptuous manner for 
wealthy patrons. 

Imperial — A size of writing paper 22 x 30 or 
23 x 31 inches ; printing paper, 22 x 32 in- 
ches ; drawing paper, 21x30 inches. 

Imperial Press — A platen jobbing press re- 
cently introduced, made in Boston. It 
has a moving platen and a stationary per- 
pendicular bed, surmounted with an ink 
disk and fountain, as in several other styles 
of job presses. Its distinctive feature is a 
second ink fountain with distributing roll- 
ers below the bed, from which the form- 
rollers receive afresh supply of ink before 
they start back on their upward motion. 
This arrangement, with three form-rollers, 
gives additional inking facility over the 
ordinary job press, which is desirable for 
printing illustrations and forms requiring a 
good supply of ink. The name Imperial was 
also given to a hand-press used in England 
many years ago. 

Imposing Stone or Table — The table or flat 
surface upon which forms are locked up 
for the press. Formerly this was a pol- 
ished stone set into the top of a wooden 
frame — and called simply a stone. Large 
composing rooms with modern equipment 
now have polished iron tables for impos- 
ing purposes. See Stone-work. 



of Technical Terms 109 

Imposition — The operation of laying a num- 
ber of pages or parts of a form in such a 
manner that, when the sheet is printed and 
folded, the pages or parts will follow each 
other in consecutive order with proper 
margins. This part of the printer's work 
requires experience, skill, precision, and 
the ability to calculate closely. A printed 
sheet may contain a single page printed 
on one side, or two pages, one on each 
side ; or it may, after printing, be folded 
once and have three printed pages and 
one blank, or all four pages printed ; or it 
may be intended to fold twice into three 
leaves with six pages, or into four leaves 
with eight pages ; and so on, with larger 
sheets and additional foldings. All these 
different forms require the pages placed 
in a different plan with relation to each 
other, as one may observe by folding 
sheets of blank paper and marking the 
blank pages in consecutive order, and 
then opening out the sheet. There are also 
variations in schemes of imposition re- 
quired because of size or shape of paper, 
or the kind of press to be used, or whether 
one form will print one side of the sheet 
and the sheet turned to print the other 
side with the same form, or whether each 
side is to be printed with a separate form ; 
and also, in sheets of two or more folds, 
the variations that may be required be- 
cause of difference in the manner of fold- 






no The Printer's Dictionary 

ing the sheet. With sheets of few pages, 
like those mentioned, the work of imposi- 
tion is comparatively simple ; but when 
many pages are printed at one time on 
large sheets, and the sheets cut into sec- 
tions after printing, each section to be 
folded separately, the problem becomes 
more intricate and the utmost care and 
study is needed to avoid mistakes and 
loss of time. Sheets folded by hand may 
have to be imposed in one way ; the same 
pages, when the folding is intended to be 
done on a folding machine, must be im- 
posed differently. Large sheets of thin 
paper may permit a number of folds in 
one sheet and the paper will fold true and 
smooth ; thick, stiff paper may require 
imposition that will allow the large printed 
sheet to be cut apart and each part folded 
separately. Imposition includes also the 
preparation of duplicate forms to be reg- 
istered to each other for printing in two 
or more colors. The making of required 
margins at the sides and top and bottom 
of each page, as well as the proper mark- 
ing of signatures, the placing of register 
points, and other matters necessary to 
prepare a form for printing, come under 
the head of imposition. Diagrams of im- 
position, with particular explanations, 
etc., may be found in many text-books on 
printing and from time to time in the 
trade journals. 



of Technical Terms 1 1 1 

Lnpression — The pressure given by a form 
of type or a plate to the sheet of paper ; 
also, the printed sheet — in the latter sense 
usually applied to engravings. 

Impression Screws — Those under the corners 
of the platen of a job press, by which the 
impression is regulated. On a cylinder 
press the impression is similarly regulated 
by screws below and above the journal 
boxes which sustain the cylinder. 

Impression Throw-off- — A device now made 
a part of nearly all job presses, whereby 
the pressman or feeder can, without stop- 
ping the press, move the platen and bed 
apart slightly, so as to avoid making an 
impression of the form, in case of failure 
to get a sheet in place properly. On cylin- 
der presses, it is an impression trip, oper- 
ated by the feeder's foot, and serves to 
raise the printing cylinder slightly while 
the form passes under it. 

Impression Sheets — Those placed around the 
cylinder or on the tympan, upon which an 
impression is printed in the operation of 
making ready on the press. 

Imprifit — The name, with or without address, 
of the printer on his work ; usually placed 
inconspicuously, and it may be in plain, 
small type, or in the form of a trade-mark 
or significant device. 

In the Metal — That is, in type — as, to correct 
in the metal, or to revise in the metal, 
without taking a proof. 



1 1 2 The Printer's Dictionary 

Incunabula or Cunabula — A Latin term sig- 
nifying in the cradle. It is applied by bib- 
liographers to books printed before the 
year 1500 — the beginnings of printed lit- 
erature. These books are much sought for 
and catalogues and treatises upon them 
are numerous. Most of them are in Latin, 
and they are preserved in European lib- 
raries, although a number of copies may 
be found in this country. 

Indelible Ink — Used mostly for marking pur- 
poses, as on cotton or cloth, which when 
properly treated cannot be effaced. 

Indent — To put a blank before or after words 
in a line, as at the beginning of a paragraph. 

Indention or Indentation — Common paragraph 
indention is to begin the first line further 
in from the margin than the other lines. 
The usual indention of paragraphs is one 
em-quad of its own size at the beginning 
of the first line. If the lines are of more 
than average length, this indention is in- 
creased to one and a half, two, or more 
ems. Thus, for any measure from twelve 
to twenty pica ems in 10-point, 11 -point, 
or 12-point, one em of the type is suffi- 
cient ; but for 5 -point or 6-point type in a 
measure of eighteen pica ems, two ems of 
its own body will be needed. As a rule, 
wide-leaded and wide-spaced lines will 
need more indention than close-spaced, 
solid matter. The indention should be 
enough to indicate the paragraph clearly, 



of Technical Terms 113 

but not so much as to make distinction 
unduly conspicuous. See Hanging Inden- 
tion, Half-diamond Indention, Diagonal In- 
dention, Motto Indention. 

Index — A table for facilitating reference to 
topics, names, etc., in a book, arranged 
in alphabetic order. It is usually placed 
at the end of a book, but is sometimes in 
the first part. An index differs from a 
table of contents which is always in the 
front of the book and states the chapters 
or subjects in the order in which they 
occur. Also the character (J^ 3 , called 
by compositors the hand or fist. It is fur- 
nished with ordinary roman fonts, being 
one of the old-style reference marks. In 
some fonts right and left characters are 
furnished, and it is now made in a variety 
of forms for advertising, etc. 

Index Expurgatorius — A list of prohibited 
books. 

India Ink — A deep black writing and draw- 
ing ink, used especially in drawings to be 
photographed for engraving. It is made of 
lampblack and size, or glue, and received 
its name because it was first obtained from 
China through India. 

India Paper — Often used by engravers for 
fine impressions. It has a fine silky texture 
and takes ink nicely. It is imported and 
is made from hemp, cotton, mulberry bark, 
bamboo, and silkworm cocoons. India 
proofs are made on india paper. 



— 



ii4 The Printer's Dictionary 

India-rubber Blanket — A sheet of cloth faced 
with rubber, used to cover the printing 
cylinder. It is used where quick make- 
ready is required on common work, like 
newspapers, and for old types or electros. 

Inkoleum — A colorless reducer for printing 
inks, designed to make stiff or cold inks 
easier to work. 



Inferior Figures or letters — Small figures or 
letters cast on the lower part of type, be- 
low the line of the usual face, thus : , 2 3 or 
a b c ; used in chemical and scientific form- 
ulas. Superiors are above the line I 2 3 a b # 

Initial — The first letter, as of a name, etc. 
In printing, the word is usually applied to 
a large letter, plain or ornamental, which 
is inserted at the beginning of a paragraph. 
In this use it may be a two-line initial, 
three-line, etc., according to the number of 
lines of text that it covers. Before the in- 
vention of printing, and since, the initial 
letter has been considered the feature of a 
page that could be properly used for deco- 
rative purposes. Early manuscripts show 
many elaborate, beautifully colored ini- 
tials. These were done by hand by scribes 
and illuminators, and early printers often 
left blank spaces in their printed pages 
for these letters to be drawn in later. In 
some cases a small letter was printed in the 
middle of a large space as a guide to the 
artist. These small letters were covered 



of Technical Terms 115 

with the larger letter, but sometimes they 
were left untouched and the decoration 
drawn around them to fill the space. Later 
initials were cut on wood or cast in metal 
and printed with the text. 

Ink — The colored fluid or substance used in 
writing, printing, stamping, etc. Common 
black writing ink is a chemical dye gen- 
erally made of nutgalls, copperas, and gum 
arabic. The coloring matter is gallotannate 
of iron ; logwood is used to deepen and 
improve the color, and many other ingredi- 
ents are sometimes used. Printing ink is 
a mixture of boiled oil and black or colored 
pigments. Unlike writing ink, which is 
fluid, printing ink is of the consistency of 
a thick paint. Linseed and nut oils are used 
for the finer printing inks, while rosin is 
used for the cheaper grades. See Anifaie 
Colors, Copying Ink, Invisible Ink. 

Ink Brayer — See Brayer. 

Ink Fountain — The receptacle in which ink 
is placed on a press, and from which dis- 
tributing rollers take the ink automatic- 
ally and spread it over the printing form. 
The front of the fountain consists of a 
polished steel roller against which the ink 
lays and by the turning of which the ink 
is worked out and taken up by another 
roller of softer composition. The supply of 
ink is regulated by thumb screws pressing 
behind a knife or straight-edge against 
the fountain roller. 



n6 The Printer's Dictionary 

Ink Knife — For handling printing ink, as in 
taking from can or barrel ; it has a handle 
and usually a blade with a square end. An 
ink slice is an iron implement for lifting or 
scraping up ink. 

Invisible or Sympathetic Ink — A writing fluid 
which remains invisible on paper until de- 
veloped by exposure to heat, strong light, 
or some chemical reaction. 

Ink Stinger — A slang term for a professional 
writer, especially one who writes recklessly 
or verbosely. 

Ink Balls — Employed before the invention of 
rollers about seventy-five years ago, to dis- 
tribute ink on the type-form. They con- 
sisted of round cushions stuffed with wool 
or similar material, each with a handle, and 
were used in pairs. 

Ink Up — To lay on the rollers and distrib- 
ute sufficient ink for any purpose. 

Inner Form — When two forms are required 
to print a sheet, one will have the pages for 
the inside, and the other those for the out- 
side ; on an eight page sheet, in two forms, 
the inner form will have pages 2,3,6, 7. 

Inset — A sheet or folded section placed with- 
in another. 

Insert — A separate sheet, usually of heavier 
or different quality of stock and specially 
printed, bound into a magazine, pamphlet, 
etc. An illustration inserted in a book is 
termed a plate by bibliographers. 



of Technical Terms 1 1 7 

Inside Quires — The good quires of a ream 
of folded paper ; the outside quires of a 
package are liable to show more or less 
injury from handling, rope marks, etc. 

Intaglio — Engraving incised or cut into the 
surface of wood or metal, in distinction 
from engraving in relief. The lines to be 
printed are filled with ink and the paper 
pressed in to take up the ink. See Copper- 
plate Engraving, Steel Engraving, 

Interleave — To place extra sheets, usually 
blank, between the printed sheets, as to 
insert sheets of blotting paper between the 
leaves of a blank book. When a printing 
form requires a great quanity of ink, the 
sheets as they come from the press are 
often interleaved to prevent the ink set-off 
from one sheet to another. This operation 
is oftener called slip-sheeting, and the 
sheets used slip-sheets or set-off sheets. 

Interlinear Matter — Lines of type, as of ex- 
planation or translation, placed between 
the main or text lines of a work. 

Introduction — A preliminary paragraph, page 
or chapter in a book, etc., usually of an ex- 
planatory nature. See Preface, 

Interrogation Mark [?] — Used at the end of 
a direct question. When this mark is cast 
on a thin body, a thin space should be used 
to separate it from the preceding word. 

Inverted Commas ["] — Used at the beginning 
of a quotation. See Quote-Marks. 



n8 The Printer's Dictionary 

Italic — The first italic types were made by 
Aldus Manutius, the famous Italian print- 
er of the sixteenth century, who printed 
many books with it entirely. Originally 
only the lower-case letters were italic, the 
capitals being upright. Although italic was 
first used to print the whole text of books, 
it has now only occasional uses, such as 
for words requiring emphasis, for circu- 
lars, extracts, bits of poetry, sub-headings, 
etc., and sometimes for prefaces and in- 
troductory paragraphs. Its use in roman 
text for names of books, plays, vessels, 
newspapers, etc., and for words from for- 
eign languages, is not now so common as 
it was fifteen years ago. On account of the 
numerous kerned letters, which break off 
easily and make its use troublesome and 
expensive, italic is not popular for ordi- 
nary work and the modern practice is to 
employ it sparingly. Nearly all ordinary 
roman fonts, as well as many special styles 
of jobbing and display faces, now have 
their companion italics, which are of sim- 
ilar weight of face and on the same "line" 
as the roman. A single line drawn under 
a word or sentence in written copy is a 
direction to the compositor to use italic. 

Italicize — To set words or sentences in italic ; 
to emphasize. 

Italic Case — A plan of type-case so arranged 
as to provide for a complete alphabet of 
capitals and one of lower-case letters, with 



of Technical Terms 119 

figures, points, spaces, etc. The arrange- 
ment is the same as the regular lower case 
condensed into two thirds of the size side- 
ways, with the capitals in the other third- 
section as in the ordinary capital case. It 
is convenient to hold small fonts com- 
plete in a single case, and is made in a 
number of sizes. 

Its Own Stock — That is, the stock upon which 
the work is to be finally printed, as dis- 
tinguished from sheets used for proofs or 
trial impressions. 

Ives Process — A method of photo-engraving. 

J — This letter, as a distinct character of the 
alphabet, is comparatively modern (since 
about 1630), it being derived from the I. 
Its late introduction explains its position 
out of the regular alphabetic order in the 
printer's capital case. J and I (with their 
lower-case forms j and i) were originally 
identical and words beginning with these 
letters were classed together in dictionaries 
as late as 1800. The use of j for i is still 
observed in medical prescriptions, at the 
end of a series of numerals, like vj(six),viij 
(eight). The pronunciation of j in English 
may be represented by dzh, in French by zh, 
in German by y, and in Spanish by h. 

Jeffing — To play at quadrats; that is, to throw 
quads like dice. Em quads are used, the 
nick side representing one and the other 
sides blanks. Jeffing is a very old custom. 



— 



1 20 The Printer's Dictionary 

Jenson — The name given to a well known 
style of type-face. The modern type was 
made by William Morris, who modelled it 
after the roman letters of Nicholas Jenson, 
a Venetian printer of the fifteenth cent- 
ury. Morris called his the "Golden" type, 
but it was introduced to American printers 
by the Dickinson Foundery branch of the 
American Type Founders Company as 
Jenson Oldstyle* Other varieties of the 
face have since been made — Jenson Bold, 
Jenson Italic, Jenson Condensed, etc., to- 
gether with a series of ornaments and dec- 
orative initials. 

Jet — The projection at the bottom of a type 
when it is first cast, being the metal which 
cools in the aperture of the mold. It is 
broken off and a groove made which forms 
the feet of the type. 

Job — A piece of work ; anything undertaken, 
or assumed to be done, whether of more or 
less importance. — Webster's Dictionary. 

Jobber — A small rotary platen press for small 
work. Also, a job compositor. 

Job Case — A type case with boxes for hold- 
ing a complete small font (a job font) of 
type; in distinction from news or book 
cases, which are in pairs. 

Job Compositor — One who does all or many 
varieties of work, as distinct from a book 
or newspaper hand. 






of Technical Terms 121 

Job Font — A small assortment of type of one 
style and size ; commonly of type used for 
display and miscellaneous work. It con- 
tains capitals, lower-case letters, figures, 
points, etc., but no small capitals, and most 
job fonts do not now include the diph- 
thongs JE CE ae ce. A job font contains a 
certain number of each character; a weight 
font contains a certain weight of each. Job 
fonts are now put up by type founders in 
two sections : one of capitals, figures, and 
points, the other of lower-case letters, with 
a small portion of points. See Font, 

Job Galley — Made in many sizes, but shorter 
and wider than those used in newspaper 
and book work. 

Job Press — A small press, commonly of the 
platen style, upon which small jobs are 
done. 

Job Type — That used for miscellaneous work 
in small jobs, etc., usually in small quan- 
tities, in distinction from newspaper and 
book type. 

Jog— To push or shake gently ; that is, to push 
together sheets of paper, etc., into a com- 
pact pile. To jog up sheets that have been 
spread out after printing, that the ink may 
dry quickly, requires some skill and prac- 
tice, in order to avoid breaking and crump- 
ling the edges. A great deal of spoilage and 
untidy work may be prevented by allowing 
none but careful employees to do this part 
of the work. 



— 



122 The Printer's Dictionary 

Jogger — An arrangement attached to the de- 
livery-board of a press, to keep the sheets 
in order as they are laid down by the fly, 
tape, or grippers. It consists of small mov- 
able uprights on two or three sides of the 
area where the sheet is delivered. These 
uprights move back and forth automat- 
ically as each sheet is laid down and thus 
keep the pile straight. 

Jump His Case — To quit or neglect his work ; 
to leave his case without notifying the fore- 
man, or for a sub. to leave without notify- 
ing the regular compositor. 

Justify— -To make lines of type of exact length 
with their mates, so that they will lock up 
solidly. This may be done by spacing be- 
tween or within words, or at the ends of 
lines. To space a line is to put proper 
spaces between words or letters. A line 
may be well justified, but badly spaced, 
and vice versa. 

Justifiers — Very thin spaces, like copper-thin, 
etc., are sometimes called justifiers. In 
England, large quads or quotations are 
termed justifiers. 

Keep Down — A direction to use capitals 
sparingly ; to begin with small letters those 
words which might in other places be cap- 
italized. In newspaper work the custom is 
is to keep down many words that would 
be kept up in pamphlet and job work. 



of Technical Terms 123 

Keep Standing — After type or forms have 
been used to print the number of impres- 
sions required, an order to "Keep stand- 
ing" may be given, if there is probability 
that the forms may be needed again. 

Keep Up— -To use capitals freely; to capitalize 
words which might at other times begin 
with small letters. 

Keep Up Style — To follow strictly the rules of 
the office in matters of capitalizing, punct- 
uation, division of words, spelling, abbre- 
viations, style of headings, etc. 

Kerned Letters — Those which have a part of 
the face projecting over the body of the 
type, like the italic/, y, etc. In early roman 
fonts, now known as old-style, the top of 
the letter f projected over the body, so that 
when it was used before an 1 or i, as well as 
when two were used together, a thin space 
was needed to prevent the kern breaking 
off. To avoid this, the f was cast double, 
also with 1 and i, on the same type, thus 
giving the familiar ligatures fi, fl, ft, ffi, ffl, 
instead of the fi, fl, ffi, ffl, as they would 
appear in single types. Kerned letters are 
troublesome to the type-founder, on ac- 
count of the extra care and expense in 
making, and they are a source of annoy- 
ance to the printer because of the breaking 
of the kerns. Modern type-founders en- 
deavor to avoid kerned letters as much as 
possible, but they can not be entirely dis- 
pensed with, especially in italic fonts, 



124 The Printer's Dictionary 

whose long sloping letters would leave 
wide gaps unless the types were made to 
overhang each other more or less. 

Key (for mechanical quoins) — A T-shaped 
piece of steel with a pin at one of its points 
which fits into and operates the metal 
quoins used to lock up forms. A combina- 
tion key is in the form of a Y and has two 
of its three points fitted for the two sizes 
of the Hempel quoin and the other point 
for the Wickersham quoin. A pressman's 
quoin-key is a right-angled lever of this 
shape N , with the short arm fitted for the 
quoins. It is convenient for unlocking and 
locking quoins that may be in the form 
close under the cylinder of the press, where 
the regular key cannot be used. 

Kidder Press — A printing machine invented 
by Wellington P. Kidder of Boston, and 
placed on the market about 1876. The first 
styles of the machine were somewhat sim- 
ilar to the Gordon press, with attachments 
for feeding the paper from a roll and cut- 
ting into sheets after printing, and for num- 
bering, perforating, etc. Because of its self- 
feeding apparatus it could be run at a high 
speed and was profitable for work in long 
runs. Later, other styles of the machine 
were made, and since the retirement of Mr. 
Kidder the firm have built presses other 
than those invented by him, until now 
there are over thirty different styles of 
Kidder presses, flat-beds and rotaries of 



of Technical Terms 133 

Leader Boxes — Small special boxes for lead- 
ers ; they may be laid upon the ordinary 
type case or attached to it temporarily. 
The usual style has separate compart- 
ments for en, em, two-em, and three-em 
leaders. 

Leaf- — A leaf of a book has two pages — the 
odd and even ; this distinction between a 
leaf and a page should be kept in mind 
to avoid misunderstanding in speaking 
of the make-up of a book. 

Leaflet — A small, thin pamphlet or folder ; 
more strictly, a sheet folded into leaves 
but not stitched. 

Lean — Said of type-matter that cannot be 
set quickly when done by piece-work, like 
solid matter without quads or open spaces. 
See Fat. 

Lean Type — That is, a type with a narrow 
or condensed face. A lean or condensed 
face is usually reckoned as one in which 
the alphabet a to z inclusive in lower-case 
measures less than 12 y 2 ems of its own 
body. A medium width is from 13 to 15 
ems, and a fat type over 15 ems. 

Leatherette and Leatheroid — An imitation of 
leather made of embossed paper or cloth, 
used for covers. 

Ledger Paper — Heavy, strong writing paper 
of best quality, so named because it is used 
in ledgers and account books. 



134 The Printer's Dictionary 

Legal Cap — A size of writing paper i2j^x 
i5^ori2^xi6 inches, flat or unfolded. 
Law cap is 12 x 15 or 12 J^ x 16 inches, 
folded the narrow way ; this size, usually 
folded the long way, is foolscap. See 
Foolscap. 

Legal Work — See Law Printing. 

Let-in Note — More commonly termed cut- 
in note. See Cut-in Note. 

Letter Boards — Movable shelves, under im- 
posing tables, in racks, or elsewhere, upon 
which standing type forms are kept. 

Letter Foundry — A type foundry. 

Letterhead — A printed heading on writing 
paper. The most common sizes for busi- 
ness purposes are 10^x8^ to 11^x9^. 
These are more correctly half-letter sheets. 
Letter paper is usually cut from post folio, 
17x22 inches, or packet folio, 19x24, cut 
in two, and consists of folded sheets. Other 
sizes are also used. 

Letterpress Printing — Printing from type, as 
distinguished from lithographic work and 
that done from copperplate, steelplate and 
other engravings. 

Letter Rack — A frame for holding cases or 
shelves for metal or wood type. 

Lettering — The act of making or impressing 
letters ; the letters so made. 

Ligature — Two letters tied together and cast 
on the same body, like fi, ff, ae, ce, &, lb, etc. 



of Technical Terms 135 

Liberty Press — A platen jobbing machine 
in which the two parts, bed and platen, 
were hinged together at the bottom by 
an extension of the frames, and operated 
equally in making the impression. The 
inking rollers were placed between up- 
rights and moved up and down but not 
sideways as the form and ink-disk passed 
under them. The press was invented by 
Frederick O. Degener of New York, and 
was first called the Degener press. Forty 
years ago this and the press invented by 
George P. Gordon, were the styles of job- 
bing machines in general use in this coun- 
try. The Liberty press is now rarely seen. 

Lift — When a form locks up so that it may 
be taken from the imposing stone without 
types dropping out, it lifts all right. A lift 
of paper is the quantity put on the feed- 
board of a press at one time. In England 
an elevator, for carrying forms, paper, etc., 
from one floor to another is a " lift." 

Light-Face — A term used to describe a style 
of type having a face very much lighter 
than usual, light face gothic 

Line Engraving — That style of engraving 
in which the effect is produced by lines 
or combinations of lines, in distinction 
from halftone and similar work in which 
the effects are obtained by masses of dots 
of larger or smaller dimensions. Copper 
and steel engravings made by direct in- 



136 The Printer's Dictionary 

cision of the graver or the dry-point, wood 
engravings, as well as zinc etchings made 
from pen drawings, are classed as line 
engravings. 

Line Formers — Curved pieces of brass, of 
the height of quads and leads, to hold 
curved lines of type. They were made in 
sets, with clasps or catches to hold the 
ends of the lines in place. The practice of 
setting curved lines of type is now nearly 
obsolete, and the use of line formers is 
rare nowadays. 

Linen-Faced — Paper or cardboard having 
one or both sides faced with linen, to 
strengthen it ; for book covers, children's 
books, etc. 

Linen Paper — A thin, strong writing paper 
made mostly from linen rags. The com- 
mon grades have a rough surface which, 
with the sizing, render it more difficult to 
print on than common print paper. Linen- 
finish is now popular, and many kinds of 
writing and cover papers, and also card- 
board, are now made with a surface which 
imitates the weave of linen cloth. 

Lining — The exact alignment horizontally 
of the bottoms of the letters of a font. In 
addition to the obvious requirement of 
making all the letters of a single font line 
with each other perfectly, American type- 
foundries have recently adopted the prac- 
tice of casting type-faces on uniform lining 



of Technical Terms 129 

Monotype, being an entirely separate ma- 
chine, may be, and usually is, operated in 
any place away from the casting apparatus 
and work may be executed on it any time 
before casting. The perforated roll may 
be fed through any number of times to 
produce duplicate castings of the matter, 
the matrix-plate for different type-faces 
being changed for each if desired. In the 
casting of the line the proper spaces are 
cast with it, the spacing needed to justify 
the line being indicated on the perforated 
roll by the key-board operator. 

Large-Paper Edition — A book printed with 
wider margins than usual. When two 
styles of a book are called for, one for 
ordinary circulation, and another on bet- 
ter grade of paper and perhaps in better 
binding, it is common to increase the mar- 
gins for the more expensive edition. This 
makes it necessary to change the furni- 
ture in the forms, or even to impose it 
over again for a different size of paper. 

Law Ltalic — This name was given to a broad- 
faced italic often used in law blanks and 
similar work, and is sometimes termed 
Caledonian Italic. The name also now 
given to an italic of somewhat different 
style, known as Law Italic No. 522. 

Law Printing — Law printing is a very dis- 
tinct class of work and is done mostly in 
offices which have facilities for properly 



130 The Printer's Dictionary 

handling it and where compositors and 
proofreaders have become familiar with 
its peculiarities. Much of it consists of 
attorney's briefs, and records. The Supe- 
rior courts of all States, as well as United 
States courts, require all cases coming 
before them to be in printed form with 
pages of specified sizes, and sometimes 
in specified sizes of type. Massachusetts 
Supreme Court work requires a page of 
the size of 10 x 8 inches; U. S. Circuit 
Court and U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals, 
size of page 11x7 inches ; U. S. Supreme 
Court, and U. S. Patent Office, 9 x 6 in- 
ches, set in small pica(i i-point) or larger. 
Usually only a small number of copies 
are printed, from fifty to a few hundred, 
and the work is done in a rush. 

Lay of the Case — The plan or scheme of ar- 
rangement of the letters and other types 
in the compositor's case. As the boxes 
are hardly ever labelled, except in cases 
that are seldom used, like sort cases, and 
those for holding accents, signs, etc., it is 
necessary for one who works at them to 
memorize the location of each character 
of the font. "Learning the case" is the 
first duty of the beginner, and he should 
do this thoroughly. In the main, the lay 
of the ordinary type-case is now pretty 
nearly the same as it has been for hun- 
dreds of years, and in all countries using 
the Roman and German letters there is 



of Technical Terms 131 

also a great similarity. In spite of the 
numerous changes that have been pro- 
posed and that many cases have been 
made and used with different plans which 
were obviously improvements on the usual 
arrangement, printers have adhered so 
closely to the ancient lay of the case that 
a present-day compositor would have little 
difficulty in setting type out of the case 
shown by Joseph Moxon in 1683. This 
applies only to the common book and news 
cases, which are in pairs, and not to cases 
for holding job type. Of these, there are 
several styles, used according to the re- 
quirements of the fonts to go into them. 

Laying Type — Putting a new font of type in 
a case ; sometimes termed laying cases, 
laying letter. 

Leads (pronounced Zeds, not leeds) — Thin 
strips of soft metal used between lines 
of type to open them out more or less. 
They are made in different thicknesses, 
based on the point system. The most 
common thickness is the 2-point. They 
are of softer metal than the type, and are 
sometimes of brass for use in newspaper 
offices. Leads have also been made of 
zinc and tin, as well as vulcanite, but 
these are rare. See Brasses, High Leads. 

Leaded Matter — Type lines separated with 
one or more leads, as distinguished from 
solid matter. 



132 The Printer's Dictionary 

Lead Cutter — A small machine with a short, 
strong knife and a movable gauge, for cut- 
ting leads in any desired length. A com- 
mon style of this machine has two knives, 
one in front for leads and another back of 
this for cutting brass rules. This is known 
as a lead-and-rule cutter. The lead knife 
and its opposing edge are parallel with 
each other and chop off the lead squarely, 
while the rule knife is at a slight angle with 
its opposing edge and cuts like a shear. 

Leaders — Periods or dots placed at intervals 
in open lines to guide the eye across to 
figures or words at the ends, as in indexes, 
tables of contents, price-lists, etc. Leaders 
are cast by type founders in nearly all sizes 
from 5-point to 18-point, in several styles, 

such as fine-dot , two dots to an 

em one dot to an em .... Cast 

leaders are usually on en, em, two-em, 
and three-em bodies. Brass leaders, not 
so easily worn or broken off, are now also 
furnished ; they are serviceable in com- 
mercial, legal, and other forms where blank 
spaces are to be filled in by writing after 

the work is printed (the day 

of. 190 ) These are made 

on 6-point, 8-point, 10-point, and 12-point 
bodies. For occasional use, a few lines 
of leaders may be readily composed with 
periods and quads or spaces. The first or 
chief editorial article of a newspaper is 
know as the leader. 



of Technical Terms 125 

various sizes. The factory and main office 
of the Kidder Press Company is at Dover, 
New Hampshire. 
Konig Press — The first practical power print- 
ing machine; invented in 181 1 by Freid- 
rich Konig, a Saxon, who devoted his at- 
tention to constructing a press that would 
print by means of a cylinder. On Novem- 
ber 28, 18 1 4, the London Times announced 
the fact that the number issued on that day 
had been printed by machinery propelled 
by steam. The first suggestion of a cylin- 
der press is due, nevertheless, to William 
Nicholson, an Englishman who in 1790 
took out a patent for such a machine, but 
which was never acted on. Isaiah Thomas 
says that a Dr. Kinsley of Connecticut 
afterward produced a press varying some- 
what from Nicholson's. 

L — In the Roman numerals L signifies 50. 
The English mark for pound sterling £ is 
the same letter, the initial of the Latin word 
libra, pound. The commercial sign for 
pound weight, lb is from the same word. 

Label Holder — For type cases, drawers, etc.; 
narrow strips of thin brass, tacked on the 
ends, and having the edges arranged so 
that a strip of card may be inserted and 
kept in place. 

Labor-Saving — The term applied to rules, 
leads, metal and wood furniture, etc., that 



126 The Printer's Dictionary 

is provided in assorted lengths. The sizes 
are commonly multiples of pica (12-point) 
or nonpareil (6-point). Material in gradu- 
ated sizes saves labor, as well as the neces- 
sity for keeping on hand sizes that may be 
little used, because two or more small 
pieces may be combined to make a larger 
piece. Labor-saving material is indispens- 
able in job work and it is employed to 
a great extent in printing-rooms of every 
kind ; even in newspaper and book rooms, 
where leads, slugs, rules, and such material 
are needed mostly in a few special sizes, 
fonts of labor-saving material are conven- 
ient and economical for the unusual sizes 
that are sometimes called for. Dealers in 
printers' goods now furnish brass rules in 
various styles, leads, slugs, metal furniture, 
reglet, wood and steel furniture, etc., in 
labor-saving fonts, together with cases and 
racks for their proper storage. 
Labor- Saving Rule — Brass rules cut in grad- 
uated lengths ; the usual sizes are multi- 
ples of nonpareil (6-point) up to ten picas 
long, and multiples of pica (12-point) for 
longer sizes. The advantage of labor- 
saving rules is that, having an assortment, 
or font, of the shorter*sizes they may be 
combined to make longer rules, thus sav- 
ing material as well as the labor of cutting 
new lengths. Labor-saving rules are fur- 
nished in fonts, by weight, by the type- 
foundries and supply houses. 



of Technical Terms 127 

Laid Down — When the pages for a book or 
catalogue form are placed in proper order 
on the imposing stone, ready to have 
furniture fitted around them for locking 
up, they are laid down. A printed sheet 
reinforced by a piece of strong paper or 
thin cloth pasted on its back is, among 
bookmen, laid down. 

Laid Paper — Having lines water-marked in 
it at equal distance apart, the lines being 
thin places made by the pressure of the 
wire screen during manufacture. It is cus- 
tomary to speak of paper being either laid 
or wove. These are misleading terms, 
probably originating not with the paper 
maker, but with the maker of the wire 
screen upon which hand-made paper is 
made. For a wove paper, the screen used 
is woven like cloth ; but for a laid paper, 
the wires of the screen are laid in parallel 
columns. The laid paper is of earlier 
origin than the wove paper ; in fact, it was 
not till the year 1750 that the wove screen 
was used. 

Lake — Applied to colored printing inks, 
means that the pigment is made by ab- 
sorbing animal, vegetable, or coaRar 
coloring matter from an aqueous solution 
by means of a metallic base ; briefly, an 
aniline dye precipitated on a transparent 
base. Lake colors are transparent colors, 
and are of many hues — crimson, green, 
olive, red, purple, yellow, etc. 






128 The Printer's Dictionary 

Lanston Monotype — A type-casting machine 
which produces separate types set in lines 
of any length, up to sixty ems pica, spaced 
and justified ; invented by Tolbert Lanston 
of Washington, D. C, and shown in oper- 
ation 1889 ; made by the Lanston Mono- 
type Machine Co. of Philadelphia. It is 
in two parts, viz., a key-board and a casting- 
machine. The function of the key-board 
section is to punch a series of holes in a mov- 
ing strip of paper, which unwinds from one 
spool to another, passing under a series of 
punches in its journey. The punches are 
operated by pressing the keys on the key- 
board, the result of this operation being 
a roll of perforated paper ribbon. This 
ribbon is then taken to the casting- 
machine, which contains a pot for melted 
metal, a stationary mold for the size of 
type to be cast, and a matrix-plate. The 
matrix-plate is about five inches square, 
and has on its face a depressed image or 
matrix of each letter and character of the 
type-face. The perforated strip of paper, 
when fed to its place, controls the move- 
ment of the matrix-plate, so that the 
required letter is adjusted exactly in place 
over the mold, while the melted metal is 
squirted in to form the type. The type 
then moves away and takes its proper 
place in the line until the line is completed, 
when it is automatically moved out onto 
a galley. The key-board of the Lanston 



of Technical Terms 137 

systems, variously known as American line 
(American Type Founders Co.), Standard 
line (Inland Type Foundry), Uniform line 
(Barnhart Brothers & Spindler), Universal 
line (Keystone Foundry), etc. The old-time 
practice was to cast the characters of a font 
so that they would line up only with their 
mates of the same size and style, without 
reference to any other style of type. When 
the compositor had occasion to use in one 
line two or more kinds of type of the same 
body, their faces were rarely on an even 
line but were irregular like these words. 
This made it necessary to use thin leads, 
cards or pieces of paper above and below 
different parts of the type-line in order to 
get the faces in line — an operation more 
or less troublesome and time-consuming. 
By the new lining system, all the faces 
made on any given size of body are cast 
to align with each other, as illustrated in 
this line, and they need no more ad- 
justment than if they were all of the same 
font. The shoulder, or blank space at the 
bottom of the letter, increases gradually 
with the increase in the size of the type, 
so that a word of small type placed beside 
a larger size must have some spacing 
material below as well as above it, to keep 
it in its right place. The lining system 
provides also that this difference in align- 
ment of different sizes of type is graduated 
by points, and when large and small sizes 



138 The Printer's Dictionary 

are used in the same line the justification 
may be made by the use of point leads, 
making pieces of cards and paper unnec- 
essary, and securing greater accuracy and 
solidity. All faces cast on the same size are 
not, however, cast on the same line, but 
are classified usually into three groups. 
One group embraces the great majority of 
faces, those having capitals and lower- 
case with normal descending letters, g j 
p y. Another group embraces fonts which 
consist of capitals only, or of letters having 
very short descenders, which may be made 
lower on the body. A third group in- 
cludes those faces having very long de- 
scenders, and which must be high on the 
body, like script types. 

A common class of lining types in job- 
bing work are the "combination series, " 
or those having two or more sizes of face 
(usually fonts of capitals only) cast on 
one size of the body. Each face is made 
to line with the others on the same body, 
and all the faces may be readily used in 
combination, with a single size of spaces 
and quads. In order to readily distinguish 
one size of face from another, the nicks on 
the type of each are varied, a single nick 
for one face, two nicks for another, etc. 

These ark called LINING- Types 
Four sizes of faces on 6-point body 

MMM MMMm 

Three sizes on 12-point Four sizes on 6-point 



of Technical Terms 139 

Lining Figures — That is, figures, usually of 
modern cut, that are cast so that they line 
together at the bottom, like 1234567890, 
in distinction from the old-style figures : 
1234567890. Old-style figures in some 
fonts are now cast " on the line." 

Lining Papers — The end papers, plain, col- 
ored, or marbled, inside the covers of a 
bound book ; often called the end papers. 

Linotype — See Mergenthaler Linotype Machine. 

Linotype Column Rules — Are different than 
those used for ordinary type matter, being 
beveled so that the foot of the rule is 
thicker than the upper part, to hold the 
bottom of the slugs tightly. 

Linotype Galley — As linotype slugs need only 
to be fastened at the foot of the galley, 
without a sidestick, for proving, the upper 
side of a linotype galley needs no ledge 
for holding side stick and quoins; it has 
instead, a movable clamp for holding the 
lines at the bottom of the column. 

Linotype Planer — For planing down linotype 
slugs in a form. Used in the same man- 
ner as an ordinary planer. It has a cor- 
rugated rubber face for removing the burs 
which the machine often leaves on the face 
edge of the letters. A brush is sometimes 
used for this latter purpose. 

Linotype Slug — A line of type or border in 
one piece, as is produced by the Mergen- 
thaler Linotype. 



140 The Printer's Dictionary 

Lithography — The process of printing from 
a flat stone. The design to be printed is 
drawn on a stone of peculiar quality with 
a specially-prepared ink, which clings to 
and dries on the surface. The surface 
is then subjected to the action of a weak 
acid that hardens the ink and slightly 
etches and lowers the unprotected parts. 
The process of printing first requires 
moistening the surface with water, which 
is absorbed by the blank parts and repel- 
led by the hard, greasy lines of the design. 
Printing ink is then rolled over the stone 
and is, in turn, repelled by the wet parts 
but adheres to the ink-drawn design. The 
stone thus prepared is ready to make an 
impression on the sheet. It will thus be 
seen that the theory of lithographic print- 
ing is based upon the repulsion between 
grease and water. The production of the 
design depends upon chemical manipula- 
tion of the printing surface. It is the most 
flexible of all methods of printing. The 
invention of lithography is due to Alois 
Senef elder, an actor of Munich, and was 
the result of an accidental impression on 
a stone. He employed it in printing music 
and afterwards, with others, developed 
the art for commercial purposes. Like 
other methods of printing, lithographic 
work was formerly done on hand-presses, 
but since about i860 power-presses have 
been employed and the progress of the 



of Technical Terms 141 

art has made rapid strides. Many new 
and improved processes and details of 
manipulation have been invented, both 
for preparing the design on the stone and 
for printing from the stone when ready. 
The preparation of the stone is done in 
several ways : by drawing on it with a 
special chalk or crayon ; by line-drawing 
with pencil or pen with lithographic ink ; 
by engraving through a thin film with 
diamond or steel points ; by drawing or 
writing on prepared paper for transferring 
on stone; by transferring impressions taken 
from copper or steel plates, wood-cuts, or 
type ; by photographing on stone ; and by 
wash-drawing on stone. The lithographic 
hand-press has a movable bed, like that 
of the typographic hand-press. The im- 
pression is made, not with a platen, as 
for a type form, but with a straight-edge 
scraper at the press-head. The bed moves 
under this scraper, which extends across 
the width of the stone, and imparts great 
pressure on a small area at a time. The 
first operation, when printing, is to moisten 
the surface of the stone, so that the sub- 
sequent inking will leave ink only on the 
design. The inking roller is then passed 
over it ; when sufficient ink has been 
applied, the sheet is laid on, the tympan 
laid down and the bed moved in under 
the scraper. The back of the tympan is 
of leather, zinc, or brass, . and is slightly 



142 The Printer's Dictionary 

oiled to allow the scraper to pass over it 
with as little side-resistance as possible. 
Lithographic rollers are not made of glue 
and molasses, like those used for typo- 
graphic work, but consist of wooden or 
iron cores, wound with felt or flannel and 
covered with leather. Lithographic power 
presses are similar to cylinder presses 
employed for typographic work. A litho- 
graphic stone, after being used, may be 
ground down and have a fresh surface 
prepared for a new design. Thus, different 
thicknesses of stones must be used, and 
the distance between the bed and cylinder 
varies more than on a type-printing press. 
The cylinder is covered with a thick, 
elastic blanket or sheet of india rubber. 
The necessary moisture is applied to the 
face of the stone by rollers, which are at 
the opposite end of the press from the 
inking rollers. These damping rollers 
consist of iron cores, wound with several 
thicknesses of flannel and covered on the 
outside with a cotton or linen fabric. 
Chromo-lithography is the process by 
which one picture is printed from many 
stones in succession, each stone printing 
a different color. The comparative ease 
in making transfers of a design from one 
stone to another, and the greater degree 
of accuracy in registering a number of 
colors over each other, have especially 
adapted lithography to color work. Photo- 



of Technical Terms 143 

lithography is the process by which the 
design is placed on the stone by photog- 
raphy instead of by hand-drawing. 

Litho — Brief for lithograph. 

Lithotint — A kind of lithography by which 
the effect of a tinted drawing is produced, 
as if made with india ink. A picture made 
by this process. 

Lithotype — A print and the process of pro- 
ducing an impression in ink from a gela- 
tin film which has been chemically treated, 
the method being similar to lithography. 

Literal Errors — In proofs, turned letters, 
transposed letters, wrong-font letters, and 
the like, as distinguished from errors of 
orthography, grammar, punctuation, etc. 

Live Matter — Type composition or pages 
that have not yet been printed or moulded 
for electrotyping ; after it has been so used 
and there is no further need of it, it is 
dead matter, ready for distribution. 

Locking Up — Tightening a form by means of 
quoins or screws, to prepare it for working 
on the press. 

Locus Sigilli — Latin, the place of the seal ; the 
initials [l. s.] placed before signatures in 
legal documents, etc. The type-foundries 
supply this in several styles for use in 
printed forms. 

Logotype — Two or more letters, or a whole 
word, cast on one body. 



144 The Printer's Dictionary 

Long Cross — The long cross-bar of a book 
or newspaper chase ; when it has two, the 
short bar is the short cross. 

Long Letters — The italic/,/, Q, or any letter 
so made that it covers the type body up 
and down. Also, vowels or other letters 
with a stroke over them to denote long 
pronunciation, as a e i 6, etc. 

Long Measure — A width of line longer than 
common for the size of type employed. A 
measure of twenty-five picas (12-point) 
would be normal for 12-point type ; for 6- 
point type it would be long. 

Long Page — A page longer than the pre- 
scribed length. In making up book and 
catalogue work, it is customary to use a 
gauge by which pages may be made of 
uniform length ; but it may often happen 
that, because of a table, cut, or some other 
feature, a long page here and there is un- 
avoidable. 

Long Primer — A size of type, in the old-style 
names, between bourgeois and small pica; 
approximately equal to 10-point. 

Long S — The old-style roman lower-case 
f now obsolete, except in reprints or imi- 
tations of old-style work. It is scarcely dis- 
tinguished from the f, the only difference 
being the omission of the cross-tick on 
the right side of the upright stem. 

Long Twelves — A plan of imposition in which 
the pages of a 12 mo are laid down side 
by side in two rows of six pages each. 



of Technical Terms 145 

Low Case — Case with little type in it. A 
case is said to be "empty" when impor- 
tant boxes contain no letters. 

Low or Low-to-Paper — Said of a type, cut, 
electro, or any part thereof, when its face 
does not come up to the exact height of 
the balance of the form. Very low parts 
in a printing form should be brought up 
from below by means of underlays, in or- 
der that they may be properly inked when 
the rollers pass over. See Height-to-Paper . 

Low Spaces and Quads — Those in most com- 
mon use, distinguished from high spaces 
and quads used with type to be moulded 
for electrotyping. See High Spaces, Quads, 
and Leads. 

Low-Line or Low-to-Li?ie — See High~to-Line. 

Lower Case — That is, the lower case of the 
usual pair as they are on the compositor's 
frame. Being the nearest to his hand, it 
contains the letters and characters most 
frequently used, namely, the small letters 
of the alphabet ; hence these small letters 
are termed lower-case letters, even when 
placed elsewhere, to distinguish them from 
the capitals and small capitals. 

Lye — Used for washing type after printing. 
Its use is not so common now as formerly, 
as the introduction of benzine, which is in 
common use for many purposes, makes the 
latter more convenient. The occasional 
use of lye, however, is necessary in order 



146 The Printer's Dictionary 

to keep type properly cleaned. A lye may 
be made from potash well diluted, and 
used warm if possible. It should be thor- 
oughly rinsed off with clear water. Before 
washing type with lye, electros or cuts with 
wood bases, wood furniture, reglets, etc., 
should be removed from the form, as the 
lye and water will quickly spoil such 
material. 



M — In the Roman numbers M signifies one 
thousand (1000). In making a new face 
of type the lower-case m is used to fix the 
" line " of the face on the body. (See If.) 
As an initial letter or part of abbreviations 
M. and m. have many significations, as 
may be seen by reference to a dictionary 
list of abbreviations. 

M's — Second quality in paper stock ; that 
which is not up to the standard in the first 
sorting at the mill, though in some cases 
the imperfections may be so trivial as to be 
detected only by an expert. R (or retree) is 
paper-maker's term for inferior paper. 

Mackle — When part of the impression ap- 
pears double because of a shifting of the 
paper while the impression is being made. 

M.F. or m.f. — Machine-finished, applied to 
common grades of paper the surface of 
which is smooth enough for line-cuts but 
not for fine halftones. 



of Technical Terms 147 

Majuscule — A capital letter. The earliest 
form of writing in Latin was in this style, 
but after a time the scribes found it easier 
to make small letters {minuscule) and cap- 
itals were used only for emphasis and or- 
namental purposes. 

Making Margin — Putting furniture and other 
blanks around the pages in a chase, so 
that they will be printed in the proper 
place on the sheet. 

Making Ready — Preparing a form on the 
press for printing, by giving each part the 
proper impression, setting the gauges, etc. 
The make-ready is the tympan-sheet and 
overlays for a particular form. Making 
ready comprises all the operations needed 
to make a satisfactory impression from a 
form. 

Make Even — To make the copy come out even 
at the end of the line. When copy is divided 
into takes in the middle of paragraphs, it 
is necessary for the compositor having the 
first part of the paragraph to end even 
so that it may close up to the next take, 
which has been started at the beginning of 
a line. This custom was formerly common 
in newspaper and other hurried work, when 
composition was done by hand and work 
was given in small quanities to many com- 
positors. See Begin Even, End Even. 

Making Up — To arrange lines of type into 
uniform pages, with headings, page num- 



148 The Printer's Dictionary 

bers, foot-notes, etc., including the needed 
blank spaces. Making up usually includes 
all the operations needed after type has 
been composed and corrected on the gal- 
ley until it is ready to place on the impos- 
ing stone and lock up in the chase. In the 
case of newspaper and other large pages, 
making up is done in the chase on the im- 
posing stone. 

Mallet — A large wooden hammer, formerly 
used with a shooting-stick to drive up 
wooden quoins. It is now rarely needed 
by the printer. 

Maltese Cross — A religious sign ^ used in 
rituals and prayer-books in places where 
the sign of the cross was to be made in 
the service. See Religious Signs. 

Manifold Paper — A very thin, strong paper, 
covered with carbon black on one side. It 
is used to make duplicate copies at one writ- 
ing ; by placing it face down on a blank 
sheet and laying another blank sheet on 
top, the writing made on the top sheet with 
a strong pressure will transfer the black on 
the manifold sheet to the blank sheet be- 
neath. It is much used to make duplicate 
copies on typewriter. 

Manila Paper — A strong paper, usually of 
yellowish or light brown color, made from 
jute, gunny, old rope, etc.; so called be- 
cause originally made from Manila hemp. 
Cheap grades are made from strong wood 
pulps. 






of Technical Terms 149 

Manuscript — Now understood to include 
type-written as well as hand-written words. 
The printer's copy may be manuscript or 
reprint. Abbreviations, ms., plural mss. 

Map Type — A series of cast characters with 
which a compositor could set up a map 
or a diagram in type. The font consists of 
round, square, angular, and straight lines 
which can be put together with descriptive 
words, letters, and figures, so as to pro- 
duce a diagram quickly and economically. 
For the compositor's guidance the copy 
was drawn upon a sheet lined into small 
squares. Since the introduction of process 
engraving, by which work of this kind can 
be done better, the use of map type is rare. 

Marbling — A process of decorating sheets 
of paper and edges of books with varie- 
gated colors in irregular patterns. 

Marginal Notes — Side-notes, usually set in 
type smaller than the main page, placed in 
the margin. 

Marking Ink — Indelible, to mark linen, etc. 

Mary — In jefnng, "if none of the nicks ap- 
pear upper-most in throwing, the throw is 
called a mary," or a mollie. 

Mathematical Signs. — The arbitrary marks 
used in the science of numbers and quan- 
tities. Although the common Arabic and 
Roman numerals are properly included in 
the signs of this class, mathematical signs 
are usually understood as those used in 



150 The Printer's Dictionary 

arithmetic and algebra. For printer's use, 

the type foundries cast them in sizes from 

6-point to 12-point and sell them in special 

fonts. The following characters are made 

by the American Type Founders Company. 

+ Plus ; indicating addition. 

— Minus ; indicating subtraction. 

^ or ^ Plus or minus ; indicating that the num- 
ber following may be either + or — . 

X Multiplied by ; multiplication is also indicated 
by • thus, a • b. 

-f- Divided by ; division is also sometimes indi- 
cated thus, 10:5 = 2. 

= Equal to. 

> Is greater than. 

< Is less than. 

~ The difference between. 

=0= Is equivalent to. 

j Integration. 

I and ; ; Proportion, as 2 : 4 : : 3 : 6. 

OC Varies as ; symbol of variation ; thus, x OC y 
is read " x varies as y." 

OO This sign represents a variable number that 
increases without limit ; infinity. 

Wanting ; nothing ; zero. 

♦\ Therefore. 

V Because. 

5 The sum. 

.... Continuation ; and so forth. 

/ The radical sign, used to denote square root ; 
\ when any other than square is expressed a fig- 
ure denoting the order of the root is placed 
above the sign, like -fy cube root, etc. 



of Technical Terms 151 

J_ Perpendicular to. 

|| Parallel. 
^ Arc of circle. 

Degree of circle. 

' Minute of circle. 

" Second of circle. 
< Angle. 

Right angle. 

□ Square. 

O Circle, 360 degrees. 

□ Rectangle. 
A Triangle. 

Matrix — The shallow mould in which the 
face of a type is cast; also the papier- 
mache mould made from a page of type 
for stereotyping. 

Matter — Composed type. 

Measure — The width of the column or page 
of type ; the width to which the composi- 
tor's stick is set for composing. Half-meas- 
ure is when the width of page is composed 
of two parts, each set separately, and then 
placed side by side, as in tables, lists of 
names, etc. The unit of measure in book 
and job rooms is commonly the pica (12- 
point), and leads, rules, quotations, and 
other furniture are measured and named 
by their sizes in picas. In newspaper work 
the measure of columns often is gauged 
by sizes other than the pica, the common 
widths of a single column varying between 
twelve and thirteen pica ems. The adjust- 
ing of a composing stick to the required 
measure should always be done with care, 






152 The Printer's Dictionary 

and, in order to insure accurate justifica- 
tion of a page, it should not be changed 
until all the lines of that length are com- 
pleted. To set the composing stick accur- 
ately, use pica (12-point) lower-case m's 
set sideways. Some composing rooms are 
supplied with a set of brass or steel slugs 
or blocks, by which compositors are re- 
quired to set their sticks. 

Measuring Up — To ascertain the amount of 
type set by a compositor. This is done by 
multiplying the number of ems in one line 
by the number of lines set, the result be- 
ing in ems of the size of type used. In 
England the calculation is made by ens 
instead of ems. In measuring up type for 
the purpose of finding the cost of composi- 
tion, headings, leads, slugs, and quad-lines 
are usually included as composed lines and 
the whole measured up as if solid matter. 

Medium — A size of printing paper, 19x24 
inches, writing paper, 18 x 23 inches. The 
size of double medium, 24 (now often 25) 
x 38, is in this country the most common 
size for printing paper of all kinds. 

Medical Signs — Those in common use are : 
B (Latin, Recipe) take ; aa, of each ; 5 
ounce ; 3 drachm ; 3 scruple. Contrac- 
tions and initials (of Latin words usually) 
are numerous in medical literature. 

Merge7ithaler Linotype — A line-casting ma- 
chine invented by Ottmar Mergenthaler, 
first put into practical use in the office of 



of Technical Terms 153 

the New York Tribune in 1886. The first 
machines were quite different in construc- 
tion from those of the present day, though 
the principle is the same. It consists, 
briefly, of a mechanism for assembling 
brass dies or matrices in lines, presenting 
them in front of a mould in which a slug, 
with the characters of the matrices, is cast, 
and returning the matrices to their proper 
channels for use again. The brass mat- 
rices have the characters of the alphabet, 
figures, points, etc., sunk on their edges ; 
these are held in a magazine, which is an 
arrangement of channels in an inclined 
position above a keyboard. By the pushing 
down of the keys the required matrix is 
released, which drops and is carried into 
place by a small belt. Wedge-shaped 
spacebands are also controlled by a key, 
and when enough matrices and space- 
bands are assembled to fill the line a bell 
rings. By depressing a lever the line of 
matrices is then moved in front of a mould 
fixed on one side of a wheel and behind 
which is a pot of melted metal. The wedge 
spacebands are then forced upward be- 
tween the matrices, thus justifying the line. 
As the line is justified, a plunger in the 
metal-pot forces a quanity of metal into 
the mould and against the line of matrices, 
forming a slug with the letters in relief on 
one edge. After the cast is made, a turn 
of the mould-wheel and other mechanism 



154 The Printer's Dictionary 

shaves off the surplus metal on the foot of 
the slug and pushes it between knife-edges, 
where it is trimmed on the sides, and then 
out on to a galley. The metal is heated to a 
liquid state by a small gas furnace under 
the metal-pot. After the matrices have 
been used for the line, they are lifted by 
an arm to the top of the machine and dis- 
tributed again, each character in its par- 
ticular channel in the magazine. The ma- 
trices for each character have a set of 
notches or teeth different from every other 
character ; and as they are moved along 
the distributing apparatus by horizontal 
screws, each matrix reaches a point where 
its notches are matched and it drops into 
the top of its channel. The work of the 
operator is to manipulate the keyboard 
and, at the end of each line, move a lever 
which engages the mechanism that carries 
the assembled line to the mould. All other 
operations are performed by mechanical 
power. There are a number of matrices 
of each character, and the arrangement 
of the machine is such that three lines of 
matrices may be kept in operation at once 
— one being assembled, one at the cast- 
ing mould, and the third being distributed. 
The advantage of the Linotype for com- 
position are that the justification is auto- 
matic ; distribution of type is not needed, 
as, after use, the slugs are thrown back in- 
to the metal-pot ; and composition may be 



of Technical Terms 155 

done at a rate three or four times faster 
than by hand. The newest models of the 
Linotype have many improvements, such 
as quick-change double-magazines, where- 
by two or more different faces may be cast 
on the same machine ; an attachment for 
tabular work ; long-measure moulds, and 
two sizes of moulds in the same wheel ; 
double-letter matrices, on which two dif- 
ferent faces are made, one above the other, 
on the edge of the same matrix, the desired 
face being adjusted to the mould by rais- 
ing or lowering the line of matrices. 

Meridian — A size of type in the old-style 
bodies equal to four-line small pica; rarely 
used. 

Metalithography — A recent term, to denote 
printing from zinc and aluminum, which 
are used as substitutes for stone in lithog- 
raphy. Metal printing surfaces of this 
kind may be used on rotary presses, where 
stones cannot be. 

Metal Quoins — Patented iron quoins, made 
in several styles, as distinguished from the 
old style wooden quoins. 

Mezzo Engraving. — A method of copperplate 
engraving in which the entire surface of 
the plate is slightly roughened, after which 
the drawing is traced and then the portions 
intended to show high-light are strength- 
ened. An impression made from a plate so 
produced, characterized by an even grad- 
uation of tones. 



156 The Printer's Dictionary 

Metal Furniture — Blanks of various sizes 
cast in metal. See Furniture. 

Midget Safety Quoins — These are small brass 
quoins that can be used in spaces 18-points 
wide, too narrow to admit the ordinary 
metal quoins. Two brass pieces are fitted 
together wedge-fashion so that by tapping 
one piece down flat with the other their 
sides will expand and tighten the form. 

Miehle Press — A flat-bed cylinder press in- 
vented by Robert Miehle of Chicago. It 
is made in several styles and sizes — a two- 
roller pony, two-roller and four-roller book 
and job machine, etc., as well as a two-color 
machine. A distinctive feature is the mech- 
anism which carries the bed and cylinder 
in harmony while the impression is made, 
the bed then gradually slowing down while 
it passes over the center and starts on the 
return movement. Because of its careful, 
construction, insuring strong impression, 
close register, and capability of high speed, 
it has become popular as a machine for 
high-class miscellaneous work. 

Mimeograph — An apparatus invented by Edi- 
son, by which stencils of written pages may 
be obtained for the production of an indef- 
inite number of copies. A pointed stylus 
is moved as in writing with a lead pencil 
over a kind of tough prepared paper placed 
on a finely grooved steel plate, and the writ- 
ing is thus traced in a series of minute per- 
forations. Stencils may also be prepared 
on typewriters. 



of Technical Terms 157 

Mill Board — A very thick card, rolled hard 
and smooth, used for stiff book covers, etc. 

Minion — A size of type between nonpareil 
and brevier in the old-style type bodies, 
approximately 7 -point. The minion made 
by different foundries often varied greatly 
in size, as did some of the other old-style 
bodies. It is a size much used in news- 
papers, for notes and extracts, and for ref- 
erence works. Minionette was a size vary- 
ing slightly from the minion, being a little 
smaller ; it was formerly sometimes used 
for ornamental borders, but as a size for 
type was not used in this country. 

Minnikin — A name rarely given to types 
half the size of nonpareil ; the names half- 
nonpareil, or 3-point, are now given to types 
when made of this size, such as piece-frac- 
tions, accents, etc. 

Minuscule — See Majuscule, 

Minute Mark — The mark ' used to denote 
geographical or chronological minutes. 
Two marks " denote seconds. This char- 
acter is also used in other ways, as in dic- 
tionaries, spelling books, etc., to indicate 
accented syllables in pronunciation ; in 
catalogs and commercial forms to express 
feet and inches, like 2' 4". 

Misprint — A typographical error, made 
either through oversight or accident. 

Mitering Machine — A small bench machine 
used to mitre brass rules, etc. 



158 The Printer's Dictionary 

Mitre — A bevel on the ends of brass 
rules or other lines, so that they may join 
at an angle on corners ; old printers 
termed them chamfered rules. 

ModernRoman — That general style of roman 
type-face which is distinguished from the 
old-style roman by greater regularity of 
shapes, more precise curves, and delicate 
hair-lines and serifs. The first distinctive 
type of this style was made by a French 
printer and type-founder, Bodoni, about 
1770. It has since been very generally 
used, especially in books and newspapers, 
though the old-style face has of late years 
grown in favor for miscellaneous work. A 
comparison of the following letters with the 
Caslon old-style and modernized old-style 
will show the distinctive features of each. 

Modern Roman 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTU 

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 
1234567890 

Caslon Old-style 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQR 

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 
1234567890 

Modernized Old-style 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQR 

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 
1234567890 



of Technical Terms 159 

Monogram — A character composed of one, 
two, or more letters interwoven. Initial 
letters of names are commonly used in 
this manner and the device employed for 
stamping stationery, cards, etc. 

Monotint — Printing in one tint of ink. 

Monetary Signs — $ dollar, f cents, £ pound 
sterling, s. or / shilling, d. pence, @ at, ^ 
per, % account, % per cent. 

Mortised — When a cut, electro, engraving, 
or type has some part cut out, either in 
the interior or on the sides, to allow of the 
insertion of othermatter, like words or lines 
of type, brass rules, etc. A large letter will 
often be mortised in its blank parts, to 
allow closer fitting of small type beside it. 

Morton Lock-up — This consists of one, two, 
or more Wickersham quoins attached to 
a steel side-stick, for use in special forms 
or places for which the side-stick is spe- 
cially fitted. Fixing the quoin on the side- 
stick gives the advantage of having to 
handle only a single piece on the side of 
a large form, and the quoins are always 
held in place. See Wickersham, 

Motto Indention — To indent the lines so that 
a narrow paragraph is placed on the right 
side of the page ; often seen in French title- 
pages, but not common here. Sometimes 
called French indention. 

Mottled — Spotted with various colors, like 
card and paper novelties, etc. 



160 The Printer's Dictionary 

Mounted — When a sheet or print is pasted 
on a larger and heavier sheet or a card. 
An electro or engraving is mounted on a 
base of wood or metal, to make it type-high. 

Mutton-fist — A name sometimes given to the 
index or fist fljg^ 

Mutton Quad — An em quad. For clearer 
distinction in speaking, compositors call 
the em a mutton, and the en a nut. 

Multicolor Type — For printing letters in two 
or more colors. This makes necessary a 
separate type for each color, the different 
parts of each letter being made to register 
together. Wood types have been made in 
this manner for use in colored posters. 
Multiple Mark — The multiplication sign X • 
Music Type — For printing music. The large 
number of characters and the complicated 
cases holding them make music compo- 
sition much more difficult than ordinary 
work. A great deal of music printing is 
done by lithography. 

Ne W DEPARTURE — A term given to an 
improved make of type-case, in which the 
bottom, instead of being one piece of thin 
wood, consists of three plys of very thin 
wood glued together so that the grain of 
one ply crosses that of the others. This 
makes the bottom less liable to shrink, 
warp, or split open. 



of Technical Terms 161 

News — Among printers, any thing or sub- 
ject pertaining to newspaper work, and 
the special equipment and material used, 
or the place in which newspapers are 
printed ; as news paper, news ink, news 
press, news chase, news room, etc. 

New York Job Case — A style of type case 
with boxes for capitals, lower-case, and 
small capitals. The lower-case boxes are 
reduced in size to permit of two extra 
rows of boxes at the top, which accom- 
modate the extra font of small capitals. 

New York Stand — A style of case stand on 
which the capital case is held on two 
brackets slightly higher and nearer to the 
front than on the ordinary stand. 

Nib — The small ear or projection on the 
end of a composing rule, by which the 
compositor takes the rule from between 
lines after setting. 

Nick — The notch on the side of a type. In 
this country and England all foundry-cast 
types have the nicks on the under side 
of the letter. By observing the nicks as he 
sets from the case, the compositor can 
place the types in the stick right side up 
without stopping to scrutinize the face. 
The number of nicks on a type varies 
from one to five, and they may be made 
in different positions. As all the types of 
a font cast at one time usually have iden- 
tical nicks, the variation in number and 



1 62 The Printer's Dictionary 

position of these marks also serve to dis- 
tinguish one kind or size of type from an- 
other. Wrong-font letters may often be 
detected by a difference in nicks when a 
line is being justified in the composing 
stick. 

Nickel Faced — Electrotypes are sometimes 
nickel-faced when they are to be used for 
red ink, because of the destructive chem- 
ical action of red ink and copper. The 
nickel-facing is commonly a deposit upon 
the electro, but it is also done by deposit- 
ing a shell of nickel instead of copper 
directly on the wax-mould and mounting 
this nickel shell in the same manner as 
an electro. Types have also been nickeled 
by depositing a thin film upon their faces 
to add to their durability, but this practice 
is rare. 

Nippers — Slightly curved metal fingers fas- 
tened on a rod in the opening of a print- 
ing cylinder ; they catch the edge of the 
sheet at the proper point as the cylinder 
revolves and release the sheet after the 
impression is made. Tweezers are some- 
times termed nippers. 

Nipper Gauges — The movable gauges at 
the lower edge of the feed-board of a 
cylinder press ; the nippers on the cylin- 
der catch the sheet after it is fed to the 
gauges, while the gauges rise slightly to 
let the sheet pass under. 



of Technical Terms 163 

Nonpareil — A size of type equivalent to six- 
point ; one of the most common sizes in 
use, half of pica. Several kinds of mate- 
rial are made in nonpareil or six-point 
size, like nonpareil brass rule, nonpareil 
reglet, nonpareil slugs, etc. 

No. — Abbreviation of Numero ; Number. 
This is used only before a figure or other 
numeral, and the capital N is required ; 
no. is not a good form in type. 

Note — An explanatory phrase, sentence, 
paragraph, or brief statement, usually set 
in smaller type than the main text, like 
foot-note, side-note, etc. 

Note Circular — A circular or communica- 
tion printed on one or more pages of note 
paper. A single leaf is a half-note ; a 
folded sheet is a full-note. 

Note Heading — A printed heading, as of the 
name, address, business, etc., printed at 
the top of a sheet of note paper. 

Note Paper — A size of writing paper, one 
half the size of letter paper ; the most 
common sizes used by printers are com- 
mercial note (8^ xii inches, folded) and 
packet note (9J4 x 12 inches, folded). 

Note of Admiration — The exclamation mark 
[!] was formerly sometimes thus called. 
This mark is also called a screamer. 

Numbering — The printing of figures in con- 
secutive order on envelopes, tickets, cou- 
pons, and other work. 



164 The Printer's Dictionary 

Numbering Machine — A compact mechan- 
ism for printing numbers in consecutive 
order. It consists of two or more small 
wheels, each having on its periphery the 
figures 1 up to o. These wheels are 
placed side by side in a metal case and 
are made to turn by the depression of a 
plunger attached to the first wheel. After 
setting the first wheel at figure 1 and the 
others at blank, the plunger is depressed 
at each impression and turns the figure- 
wheel to bring up the other figures in 
succession. When the o comes up, the 
next wheel is turned to figure 1 and re- 
mains at 1 till the first wheel has again 
turned round to o, when 2 appears on 
the second wheel. This operation may be 
repeated up to the capacity of the ma- 
chine, or 99 on a two-wheel, and 999999 
on a six-wheel machine. Typographic 
numbering machines may be locked up 
in the chase beside the form of the ticket 
w r hich they are to number, and printing 
and numbering done at one operation. 
Hand numbering machines are used on 
desk or table. The printing is done by a 
downward pressure of the handle and a 
spring automatically moves it back, this 
motion giving the wheels the necessary 
turn to bring the next number into place. 

Numerals — The Arabic and Roman char- 
acters used to express numbers : 12345 
67890, and I VXLCDM, orivxlcdm. 



of Technical Terms 165 

OBELISK — Another name for the dagger 
[f ] one of the old-style reference marks. 

Oblong Page — One that is wider than its 
height ; the reverse of an upright or more 
common style of page. 

Octavo — When a sheet of book paper about 
the size of 19 x 24 inches is folded in two 
leaves it is called a folio ; when folded in 
four leaves, a quarto or 4to ; folded in 
eight leaves, an octavo or 8vo ; in twelve 
leaves, a duodecimo or 12 mo, and so on. 
Smaller folds are i6mo, 241110, etc. 

Octodecimo — A sheet folded into eighteen 
leaves; more commonly i8mo. 

Odd Folios — The page-numbers which come 
on the first side of the leaf, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 
etc. The even folios are on the second 
side or back of the leaf, 2, 4, 6, etc. 

Off — A form is off when all the sheets re- 
quired have been printed and it is ready 
to be taken off the press. 

Office — The room or place where printers 
work ; generally understood to mean the 
entire establishment, with machinery and 
other materials, as well as the counting 
room. In America this term has been 
used almost exclusively in relation to the 
place where printing is done, although the 
term printing-house or shop is now often 
used, and certain so-called up-to-date 
smart persons dub the place a printery. 



1 66 The Printer's Dictionary 

Off-cut — The smaller part of a printed 
sheet imposed in such a manner that the 
sheet must be cut before folding, as in a 
twelve-page sheet, which may be divided 
into a four-page and an eight-page sheet 
for folding, and then one set into the 
other to make the twelve -page signature. 

Office Corrections — Proof-reader's or author's 
changes ordered after type has been set 
according to copy and for which the com- 
positor is not responsible ; in piece-work 
such corrections are charged extra. 

Off Its Feet — When type does not stand 
squarely on its base. Type must stand 
exactly on its feet in order to give a good 
impression. 

Off-set or Set-off— When the face of a freshly- 
printed sheet rubs and smuts the sheet on 
top of it. The squeezing together of a 
number of sheets, as when cutting under 
the clamp of a paper-cutter, will set-off 
onto the facing page ink that is not thor- 
oughly dry. 

O. K. Proof — Mark of approval on proof. 

O. K. with changes (or corrections) — Mark of 
approval on proof, with minor changes. 

Old English — The name given to a style of 
black-letter or text made in many varieties. 
Wlp SngltBll. Mr. DeVinne, in " Plain 
Printing Types," says of it : " The style of 
black-letter most approved by English 



of Technical Terms 167 

readers is the pointed form, which Blades 
says is modeled on the lower-case letters 
of the Bible of Forty-two Lines. Although 
it has been supplanted as a text-letter by 
the roman, it is so identified with early 
English printing that it fairly deserves its 
generally accepted name of Old English." 

Old-Style — Old-style and modern are the two 
general classes into which roman type- 
faces are divided ; numberless varieties of 
both styles are made, and many of them 
are often difficult to place in one class or 
the other. In general, the true old-style 
in use today may be said to follow closely 
that of the Caslon form. The type in 
which this dictionary is set is a modern- 
ized old-style. Another form of old-style 
is known as French Old-style or Elzevir, 
(French Oldstyle), which has been much 
used in this country, although not now so 
popular as it was fifteen years ago. See 
Modem. 

Open Matter — Matter widely leaded or con- 
taining many short lines ; in piece-work 
called /#/. 

Open Spacing — Wide spacing, as in matter 
that is widely leaded. 

Opisthographic — A pedantic term for print- 
ing or writing on both sides of a leaf. 

Oriental Type — That used for the Eastern 
languages, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic, etc. 



1 68 The Printer's Dictionary 

Original — The first engraving or plate, as 
distinguished from an electro or other 
duplicate. 

Ornament — A floret or small decoration 
cast in type. 

Ornamental Brass Dashes [ \T/ ~ ] 

These were more commonly used twenty 
years ago than now. The type-foundry 
specimen books show a great variety of 
patterns. 

Orthography — The art or proper mode of 
spelling words ; spelling. 

Ounce Mark [ 3 ] — The sign for ounce in 
apothecary's weight. 

Out — An omission of words. 

Outer Form — The form which contains the 
first and last or outside pages of a signa- 
ture when the work is done sheetwise. 
On a sheet of eight pages printed in two 
forms, pages i, 4, 5, 8 is the outer form ; 
pages 2, 3, 6, 7 is the inside form. 

Outlined — Said of a halftone engraving with 
the background screen cut away entirely, 
leaving only the objects of the picture. 
A vignetted halftone has the background 
shaded off gradually. 

Outline Letters, Outline Figures — Types which 
print the outlines of the character, in dis- 
tinction from those which print the full 
color. Several faces are now made in out- 
line as well as solid. OUDttUutRKS EUttetP, 



of Technical Terms 169 

Out of Condition — Said of printing rollers 
when they are too soft or too hard for 
proper working. 

Out of His Time — When an apprentice has 
completed his term of apprenticeship. 

Out of Letter — Out of type ; when the case 
is short of letters or sorts needed. 

Out of Register — When the pages on both 
sides of a sheet do not back each other 
accurately the sheet is out of register; or 
when the two or more colors of a job do 
not strike in proper relation to each other 
the job is out of register. 

Old of Sorts — When any needed letter or 
other character has been all set from the 
case, the compositor is out of sorts. See 
Empty Case. 

Out of Use — Type or other material that is 
kept standing and not used for a long time. 

Out Page — The first page of a sheet ; it 
usually has the signature mark at its foot. 

Out-See Copy — Marked on the margin of a 
proof to signify that the compositor has 
omitted something and directing him to 
refer to copy. 

Ovals — Brass rule forms of oval shape, for 
labels, etc. They are made by type found- 
ries in several styles of face, and are 
troublesome things for the compositor 
when he must justify a lot of small type 
inside of them. 



170 The Printer's Dictionary 

Outside Sheets - — The top and bottom sheets 
of a ream or bundle of paper, usually dam- 
aged and not included in the count. 

Overlay — A piece of paper put on the tym- 
pan to give more impression to a letter, 
line, or part of an engraving. Overlays 
for halftone engravings are now made of 
metal, as well as of a sort of rubber paste 
applied to the tympan with a brush, etc. 
The metallic overlay consists of a thin 
sheet of zinc upon which an inked impres- 
sion of the engraving has been made. 
After this impression has been "fixed" by 
chemicals and heat, the zinc is immersed 
in acid and etched — the light parts are 
eaten away and the dark parts remain. 
This zinc sheet is then fastened in place on 
the tympan and a top sheet drawn over. 

Overlay Knife — A small, flat piece of steel, 
about six inches long, with one end finely 
sharpened, especially adapted for cutting 
out paper overlays ; pressman's knife. 

Over-running — Taking words backward or 
forward from one line to another, in cor- 
recting. 

Overtime — Work done after the regular work- 
ing hours, which is usually paid for at 
increased prices. 

Own Paper — See Its Own Stock, 

Oxford Corners — Border rules crossing 
and projecting at the corners, as on 
title-pages or cards. 



of Technical Terms 171 

PACKING — The material used for tym- 
pans, applied more particularly to the cov- 
erings around printing cylinders. 

Pad — A number of small sheets of one size 
glued on one or more edges ; a convenient 
form for single sheets of stationery, memo, 
blanks, etc., as they can be held together 
until used one by one. Padding is done 
by carefully jogging the sheets until the 
edge of the pile is smooth, then with a 
brush covering the edges with a specially 
prepared elastic glue. 

Page — One side of a leaf of a book or news- 
paper ; a page of type is a composed form 
that would be printed with margins on all 
sides. 

Page Cord — The twine used to tie up pages 
of type. 

Page Gauge — A measure to determine the 
length of the pages of a work ; commonly 
a piece of reglet or brass rule notched to 
show the proper length and used by the 
make-up hand to keep pages of a book of 
uniform length. 

Page Papers — Sheets of heavy paper or card 
upon which tied-up pages are placed for 
storage, instead of keeping them on gal- 
leys ; also called page shoes. 

Pagination — The numbering of pages of a 

book, etc. 
Paging Ink — A special ink for use on paging 

machines. 



172 The Printer's Dictionary - 

Paging Machine — An automatic numbering 
machine for consecutively numbering the 
pages of blank books, etc. See Number- 
ing Machines. 

Palimpsest — A bibliographer's term to de- 
note a parchment or other sheet which has 
been written upon twice, the first writing 
having been wholly or partly erased to 
make room for the second. Manuscripts 
of classical writers were often treated in 
this manner during the Middle Ages, and 
the original w r riting on some of these has 
since been restored by washing off the 
second writing and freshening up the first 
by chemical and other treatment. 

Pallet Knife — A small ink knife, or one used 
for similar purposes. 

Pamphlet — One or more printed sheets 
stitched together but not bound like a 
book. 

Panel — Any square or rectangular design 
enclosed by four rules or borders. 

Pantograph — An instrument for mechan- 
ically copying, tracing, or cutting a design 
in duplicate, either in the same size, or 
smaller or larger. It consists usually of 
four rods or arms held together by adjust- 
able pins. Two points of this frame move 
in unison if a third point is held station- 
ary, and if one of these two points is moved 
over the pattern a pen or cutting tool will 
reproduce the design at the other point. 



of Technical Terms 173 

Paper — The thin sheets of material upon 
which nearly all printing is done. Paper 
may be made from all varieties of vege- 
table fibres, those most commonly used 
being linen and cotton rags, hemp, jute, 
esparto, straw, and wood. The raw mate- 
rial necessary for paper is cellulose, the 
indestructible walls of the microscopic 
cells of which all vegetable fibres are 
composed. The quality of paper is de- 
pendent upon the quality of the cellulose, 
and as cotton comes the nearest to pure 
cellulose it. makes the best paper. Paper 
is made by grinding, bleaching, beating, 
and boiling these fibres until they are re- 
duced to a fluid pulp, in which condition 
they readily mat or felt together when the 
water has been pressed out. Paper was 
formerly made by hand, the operation be- 
ing to dip the pulp from a vat with a mould 
having a screen bottom; when the water 
drained away the remaining film of inter- 
laced fibres were pressed out and dried. 
Some kinds of writing, drawing, and print- 
ing paper are still made in this way, but 
the great bulk of paper now used is made 
by machinery. Paper is made in a great 
variety of qualities, from heavy drawing 
board to the thinnest tissue, and in every 
color and shade. The more common kinds 
have the surface finished in various styles. 
Antique finish is really an unfinished sur- 
face, the paper being left rough by very 



174 The Printer's Dictionary 

slight pressure of the machine rollers ; 
machine finish is the surface imparted as 
it passes once through the ordinary ma- 
chine rollers ; calendered paper is passed 
through a set of extra rollers, called cal- 
enders, which subject it to a heavy press- 
ure, the degree of polish being governed 
by the number of rollers and amount of 
pressure; coated paper is a machine fin- 
ished paper that is coated with fine clay 
and glue and polished in a stack of fric- 
tion calenders ; linen finish, pebble finish, 
and various other surfaces are given by 
running the sheet between rollers which 
have their surfaces prepared to give the 
desired impression. For some purposes, 
like newspaper printing, paper is finished 
in a continuous web of great length in 
rolls, the printing being done from the 
uncut web and the sheets immediately cut 
off in another part of the machine. Paper 
is, however, commonly handled in sheets, 
the size of the sheets varying somewhat 
according to the fashion or special use to 
which it is put. See Deckle-edge, Laid Paper, 
M. P., Wove Paper, and other headings. 
Paper Cutter — A machine for cutting and 
trimming paper. It is a necessary article 
in every printing office and bindery, and 
is made in many styles and sizes. Small 
paper cutters are made to set on a bench, 
and the knife is operated by means of a 
hand lever ; large ones stand on their own 



of Technical Terms 175 

frames on the floor, and may be operated 
by a hand-lever or by power like other 
machines. In addition to the knife, which 
is moveable up and down in its frame, 
the machine must have a clamp to hold 
the pile of paper firmly while being cut. 
Another convenience is a moveable guage 
on the table, so that any required size 
may be cut and any number of piles made 
of one size. Paper to be cut should be 
jogged up evenly and the top sheet of the 
pile carefully marked where the cut is to 
be made. It is always well to take extra 
care in this matter, as mistakes in cutting 
paper are costly. When cutting expensive 
paper, have a waste sheet on the top and 
bottom of each pile, to save good sheets 
from spoilage. 

Paper Knife — A small implement for open- 
ing letters and cutting the bolts or folded 
edges of untrimmed magazines and pam- 
phlets. A steel or bone folder, or even a 
piece of thin reglet with its edges tapered 
off, is oftener used by printers for these 
purposes, a paper knife being a desk con- 
venience. 

Paper Sizes — The sizes of printing papers 
range from 14 x 17 inches to 38 x 52 in- 
ches, and it is always safer to specify the 
size of a sheet in inches, rather than to 
depend upon the old-time arbitrary names. 
The size 25 x 38 is now the most common 



176 The Printer's Dictionary 

one for book papers ; 28 x 44, and 32 x 44 
also are sizes in which papers are to be 
had in greatest variety. From the last two, 
by cutting in halves, are obtained two 
sizes (22x28 and 22x32) which were 
once common, but which are now rarely 
carried in stock by paper houses. Other 
sizes of book papers not so common are 
26 x 40 and 28 x 42. Flat writing papers 
come in a greater variety of sizes and the 
trade names are still more or less in vogue. 

SIZES OF FLAT WRITING PAPERS 

Cap 14x17 

Demy . 16x21 

Folio 17 x 22 

Double Folio 22 x 34 

Double Cap 17 x 28 

Royal 19 x 24 

Cardboard 22 x 28 

Cap is now rarely obtainable, double cap (17 x 28) 
having taken its place. The following sizes are 
of ledger papers, usually of best grades only : 

Crown 15x19 

Super Royal 20 x 28 

Double Demy, long . . . . 16 x 42 
Double Demy, broad . . . 21 x 32 

Medium 18 x 23 

Imperial 23 x 31 

Double Medium, long . . . 18 x 46 
Double Medium, broad . . . 23 x 36 

Double Royal 24 x 38 

Double Elephant 27 x 40 

* Elephant 23 x 28 

* Columbier 23 x 34 

* Atlas 26 x 33 

* Antiquarian 31 x 53 

* Emperor 48x72 

Last five are high grade ledger sizes and not often called for. 



of Technical Terms 177 



/ / 



Paper Up — To wrap type or sorts in paper, 
as of matter that is to be put away for 
future use. 

Papeterie — A box of paper with envelopes to 
match, etc., such as is sold by paper 
houses and stationers. 

Papier Mache — Mashed paper ; a hard sub- 
stance made from paper pulp mixed with 
size or glue and may be formed, while soft, 
into any desired shape. The papier mache 
method of stereotyping uses a matrix made 
up of sheets of blotting and tissue paper 
pasted together with a mineral paste. 

Papyrus — A kind of plant formerly cultivated 
in Egypt and used for making paper. It 
does not now exist there, but is found in 
some other places. It was grown on the 
delta of the Nile and was used for other 
purposes beside paper-making, although 
this was its chief use. It is said to have 
grown to a height o*f ten or twelve feet, 
and stood partly in the water like a bul- 
rush The parts used for paper were the 
thin layers between the outer bark and 
the inner pith. These layers were laid 
side by side and other layers place cross- 
ways, the mass being then beaten together 
and held by a fine glue or paste. Papyrus 
was made in sheets of different sizes, al- 
though much smaller than we are used to 
in modern paper, and the quality also dif- 
fered greatly. Sheets and rolls of papyrus 



178 The Printer's Dictionary 

manuscript many centuries old are found 
with mummies and in other places, and 
have preserved to the modern world valu- 
able records of ancient Egyptian history. 

Paragon — An old-style size of type equiva- 
lent to two-line long primer ; or what would 
be 20-point in the point system. 

Paragraph — One or more lines of a compo- 
sition placed together, usually distin- 
guished or separated from other matter 
by the indention of the first line and a 
break in the last line. The paragraphing 
of a composition is commonly the author's 
duty, and no rules can be given the com- 
positor except to " follow copy" where 
that is clear. The general custom is to 
make a new paragraph when there is 
some change in the subject or in the se- 
quence of thought. A paragraph may con- 
sist of one short sentence, or it may include 
a number of long sentences. The modern 
practice is to make paragraphs freely, as 
tending to make the composition easier 
to read. The usual indention is an em 
quad at the beginning of matter set in 
narrow or medium measures ; when the 
lines are long the indention is increased 
to two ems ; even three or four ems may 
be used in very wide columns of small 
type. As a rule, wide-leaded and wide- 
spaced lines will need more indention than 
close-spaced, solid matter. The indention 



of Technical Terms 179 

should be enough to indicate the para- 
graph clearly, but not so much as to make 
distinction unduly conspicuous. When the 
paragraph indention is wide, the last line 
of the preceding paragraph should have 
more than a short word or syllable in it, 
otherwise the extra wide break in the 
matter will be a blemish on the page. 
Paragraph Mark — The most common form 
is this IT, which is really the letter P re- 
versed, with the white part black and the 
black part white for distinctiveness. Para- 
graph marks for use with black-letter or 
Old English are of this style Q and some 
variations. Typefounders have in recent 
years made several styles of paragraph 
marks, and they have become common in 
miscellaneous work. 

Parallel Mark — One of the old-style refer- 
ence marks ||. 

Parchment — A paper-like sheet made from 
the skins of young animals, like the sheep, 
goat, etc. Paper parchment, or vegetable 
parchment, is made by chemically treating 
ordinary paper. See Vellum. 

Parenthesis (ip\uralj>arentheses) — The upright 
curved stroke used in pairs to enclose 
words, figures, or other matter in the body 
of a sentence ; also, matter thus enclosed. 
The use of other punctuation marks in 
conjunction with the parenthesis is a puz- 
zling question to many compositors, owing 



180 The Printer's Dictionary 

to arbitrary rules and whimsical practices 
of writers and proofreaders. The safe rule 
is to use punctuation marks as if there 
were no parentheses, omitting points be- 
tween the parenthetical matter and the 
word or clause to which it belongs ; if this 
word or clause is followed by a point, then 
the point should be after the parenthesis. 

It was less than half (46, to be exact) last year. 
In that year (1898), because of dispute, he left. 
The door was open ; he (the witness) saw no coat. 
The Salem (Mass.) Gazette was established 1790. 
Col. Humphrey (aid to Washington), Gen. Eaton. 

Partly Printed Newspapers — See Patent Out- 
side, Ready Print. 

Passing the Galley — An old-time practice in 
composition, when each compositor, as he 
completed setting and correcting his take, 
made up the matter into pages and then 
passed any left-over lines, with heading 
and page-number, to the person having 
the next take ; in this manner each com- 
positor in turn completed his part and laid 
the pages in order on the imposing stone 
for locking up. Nowadays making-up is 
usually done by another hand beside the 
person who set the type ; in book and 
newspaper rooms this part of the work is 
specialized. In newspaper offices, where 
a number of compositors have set type on 
one galley, each with this number or slug 
at the top of the lines he set, the galley is 
passed from one to the other in turn for 



of Technical Terms 181 

corrections when proof is returned. In 
this matter the practice is for the compos- 
itor whose take is at the top of the galley 
to correct his errors and if the next take 
has three or more errors, to pass the 
galley to the next ; if, however, the follow- 
ing take has only one or two minor errors, 
he is expected to correct them also and 
pass the galley to the compositor whose 
take shows three or more errors. The rule 
varies somewhat in different places regard- 
ing the number and kind of errors which 
will pass a galley, but the custom favors 
a compositor who sets a clean proof. 

Passing the Make-up — Same as passing the 
galley in book work. 

Pasteboard — Thick, stiff card made by past- 
ing two or more sheets together. 

Pasters — Small handbills, slips or notices 
pasted on fences and walls, or on large 
prints, lithographs, etc. 

Patch Up — In making ready on press, to 
paste pieces on the tympan sheet to bring 
up the impression stronger in spots ; usu- 
ally the final touches in making ready 
with overlays. 

Patent Space — Type spaces of the thickness 
of two five-to-em spaces ; thicker than the 
three-to-em and thinner than the en-quad. 
This space is common in 12 -point and 
larger sizes, but the name is not now 
often employed. 



1 82 The Printer's Dictionary 

Patent Outside — Said of a newspaper or 
other publication having one side printed 
at a city establishment making such work 
a specialty, while the other side, usually 
containing local news, etc., is printed in 
the home town. This arrangement is an 
economical one for the publisher in a small 
place, as he can purchase partly-printed 
sheets, with stories, household recipes, 
and miscellaneous matter, at a price a 
little in advance of the white paper, thus 
saving the expense of setting up and print- 
ing one-half of his sheet. Newspapers of 
this class are known as " patent " out- 
sides or insides according to whether the 
part supplied is the outside or inside of 
the completed sheet. The economy in 
producing a " patent " sheet comes from 
utilizing the same matter for many news- 
papers issued in different places, the 
change of headings, date, etc., being all 
that is required to print each paper after 
the pages are once set. The patent outside 
is not now so common as it was twenty- 
five years ago, publishers having a natural 
pride in producing a " home print " paper 
whenever possible ; the greatly increased 
facilities now within reach of the "country " 
printer, with cheap machine composition, 
as well as the more convenient ready-set 
stereotype plates that are now furnished 
daily by central offices in large cities, all 
have tended to make the " patent outside" 
an antiquated method of publishing. Also 
called ready print. 



of Technical Terms 183 

Pearl — A size of type in the old-style bodies 
approximating 5-point in the point system. 
It is the smallest size of type in common 
use ; several smaller sizes are made (dia- 
mond, brilliant) but they are only practi- 
cal for occasional service, on account of 
the cost of making and handling and their 
fragile nature. 

Pebble Finish — One of the many novel sur- 
faces given to paper nowadays. Like some 
other finishes, grained, linen, crimped, etc., 
it is produced by passing the sheets with 
strong pressure between steel rollers hav- 
ing a surface of the desired pattern. Half- 
tone engravings are sometimes printed on 
highly polished coated paper, to get a 
clear, sharp impression of the delicate 
parts, and when thoroughly dry the sheets 
are run through a pebbling machine to get 
rid of the shiny surface and give softened 
photographic effects. 

Perforating Machines — Are special machines 
used in binderies and other places. They 
consist of blades of large or small needles 
held in such a manner that they may be 
punched through a sheet placed on a table 
below. Another style of perforating ma- 
chine is a small wheel having on its peri- 
phery a series of small pins; this is adjusted 
on a table and, while revolving, the sheet 
passes under the pin points and is marked 
by a line of small holes. 



184 The Printers Dictionary 

Perforating Rule — Sharp, dotted rule slightly 
higher than type ; it is placed in a form 
and perforates lines in a sheet to permit 
easy tearing off where desired, as in check- 
books, coupon books, etc. The printing 
of perforating rules with the type form is 
done only on cheap grades of work, as it 
saves an extra operation, and the rule, 
being inked with the rest of the form, 
leaves a black, unsightly mark on the 
sheet. There is also the liability of spoil- 
ing the inking rollers with this sharp, high 
face. A more satisfactory way is, after 
the printing is done, to take the rollers 
off the press, lock up the perforating rules 
by themselves in a chase, set gauges in 
proper position, and run the sheets through 
just for the perforating. Several mechanical 
appliances have been invented for perfor- 
ating sheets while printing, to do away 
with the disadvantages of the rules. One 
consists of an arrangement whereby the 
perforating face drops down below the face 
of the type while the ink rollers are pass- 
ing over, thus taking no ink, and when 
the printing impression is applied the per- 
forating line rises in its place and remains 
there to mark the sheet. Another style 
for job presses, is attached to the lower 
part of the platen like a gripper, and when 
placed in position to come between type 
lines of the form, is forced into the sheet 
while the printing impression is made. 






of Technical Terms 185 

Pasted Bristol — A high grade cardboard 
made by pasting together two or more 
sheets of paper. 

Patent Block — A trade term for several kinds 
of wood and metal bases upon which elec- 
tros or engraved plates are mounted. For 
use on a press they are of a height to bring 
the face of the plate level with the type 
face, and each block has clamps or catches 
on the sides to hold the plate securely. 
There are now several styles of metal 
bases, of variable sizes and constructed on 
a unit system ; after assembling a number 
of units to make the desired size, the plate 
is fastened on top and the whole bound 
together by screw clamps. See Sectional 
Blocks. 

Perfecting — The printing of the second side 
of a sheet ; the re-iteration. A perfecting 
press is a machine which points both sides 
of the sheet before it is delivered. 

Perforating — To punch lines of small holes 
or slits in a sheet so that it may afterward 
be torn off with ease. Scoring is merely 
to crease a sheet so that it will bend or 
fold at a given place. 

Period [.] — A mark of punctuation. 

Periodical — A publication which appears at 
regular periods of time ; the term is com- 
monly applied to magazines, reviews, an- 
nuals, and publications issued monthly or 
less often, rather than to newspapers. 



1 86 The Printer's Dictionary 

Permanent Inks (or Colors) — Those which 
do not readily fade or change when ex- 
posed to light. 

Per Mark [ f ] — A commercial sign, used 
in market reports, etc. 

Phonography — Writing by sound ; shorthand. 

Phonotypy — Printing with characters repre- 
senting the sounds of the voice, the idea 
being to use for each elementary sound a 
special letter which represents that sound 
and nothing else ; phonetic printing. There 
have been many schemes and special char- 
acters devised from time to time, but none 
have been employed to any extent. 

Photo-aquatint — An engraving made by the 
photo-chemical process, the result being 
an intaglio copperplate from which im- 
pressions similar to photo-gravures may be 
made ; a print made by this method. 

Photo-chromo — A colored picture produced 
by plates engraved by photo-mechanical 
means. See Three-color Process. 

Photo-engraving — The process of making, by 
means of the chemical action of light 
upon a film, engraved plates or blocks for 
printing. The term may be meant for in- 
taglio as well as relief work, but it is in 
this country usually applied to relief plates 
such as halftones, metzographs, and zinc 
etchings. The intaglio plate is more com- 
monly known as photo-gravure, photo- 
aquatint, etc. 



of Technical Terms 187 

Photo-gravure — A print and also the process 
of making a print from an intaglio engrav- 
ing. There are numerous variations in the 
process as carried on by different opera- 
tors, but the general method is by chem- 
ically treating a gelatine, albumen, or as- 
phaltum film on a metal plate ; this is next 
printed with a photographic positive, the 
action of the light making a relief copy of 
the original on the film. The other portions 
are then washed away and the plate etched 
with acid. There are no sharp, incised 
lines, but minute depressions ; the deep 
parts into which ink is deposited, making 
the shadows, and the shallower parts, hold- 
ing very little ink, producing the lighter 
tones of the picture. Impressions are made 
in the same manner as from steel and 
copperplate engravings, the work being 
slow and expensive, so that printing done 
by this method is limited to art subjects, 
portraits, and fine book illustrations. Va- 
rieties of photo-gravures are known as 
Albertypes, Woodburtypes, artotypes, col- 
lotypes, heliotypes, etc. 

Photo-lithography — When the design is put 
on the lithographic stone by photography 
instead of being drawn on by hand or 
mechanically. See Lithography, 

Photo-mechanical — Pertaining to printing sur- 
faces made by photographic and mechan- 
ical means ; photo-engraving ; phototype. 



1 88 The Printer's Dictionary 

Photo-zincography — The process of making a 
relief engraving on a zinc plate, somewhat 
in the same manner as photo-lithography ; 
a photo-etching on zinc. 

Pick — A spot made by filling in the hollow 
parts or counters of type or plates. 

Pick for Sorts — When the case is empty, to 
take letters from standing matter, whether 
live or not, to use for the job in hand ; a 
common practice, and sometimes neces- 
sary, but mostly due to bad management 
of the composing room in not keeping 
dead matter promptly distributed. 

Pick-up — When a line, heading, or other mat- 
ter can be taken out of a dead form and 
used over again, it is a pick-up. 

Pickle — A weak acid used to clean out old 
electros, engravings, etc. 

Pi — Type mixed and in confusion. A squabble 
is when a page or paragraph has been 
twisted out of shape. 

Pica — A size of type equal to 12-point. It is 
the standard of measurement for leads, 
rules, furniture, and also for width and 
length of pages. Six picas equal, approx- 
imately, a linear inch. 

Piece Fractions — Those that are made up of 
two or more types. Regular piece fractions 
are cast on bodies half the size of the type 
for which they are to be used. See Frac- 
tions. 



of Technical Terms 189 

Piece-work — That which is paid for accord- 
ing to the amount of work performed, as 
distinguished from time-work, which is 
paid for usually by the hour. Composition, 
when paid for by piece, is measured by the 
number of ems set, the price being fixed 
at so much per 1000 ems. On daily news- 
papers and periodicals, and in many book 
rooms, piece-work is the rule, as there is 
much work of a uniform style and a fixed 
price for a given amount of product may 
be agreed upon. In job offices and places 
where there is a constantly varying run 
of work and the workmen are required 
to do many different things, time-work is 
the most satisfactory basis of compensa- 
tion. Time-work in American printing es- 
tablishments is now based on the hour, 
and workmen are required to make a re- 
cord of all time spent on each job. 

Piece Root Sign — See Root Sign. 

Pieced Leads — When the required length of 
lead for a wide measure is not at hand, 
two or more shorter lengths may be put 
together ; thus, ten-em leads and nineteen- 
em leads may be used to lead a twenty- 
nine-em paragraph. Brass rules are also 
used in pieced lengths. 

Pieced Brace — Three sections thus : , A N 

which may be extended to any longer 

length by adding dashes, , A x . 

See Braces. 



190 The Printer's Dictionary 

Pigeon-holed — When extra wide spacing is put 
between words and the white spaces are 
noticeable in a page, it is said to be pigeon- 
holed ; it is evidence of bad workmanship. 

Pin-Mark— The little mark on the side of 
foundry-cast type ; it is on the upper part 
and is commonly circular in shape, the 
circle often enclosing figures denoting the 
size of the type in points. The American 
Type Founders Company uses a pin-mark 
of this style ©, to mark types that have 
faces cast on its point-lining system. 

Plain Rule — Brass rule with plain, straight 
lines, as distinguished from dotted and 
ornamental rule. 

Planer — The smooth-faced block of wood 
used to level the face of a form. 

Planigraph — An instrument for reducing or 
enlarging drawings. 

Planography — This word is now used as a 
substitute for zincography and alumin- 
ography. It refers to methods of printing 
from flat surfaces other than stone. Much 
printing is now done by the planographic 
method, using zinc or aluminum, by which 
the impression is off-set from a rubber sur- 
face to the paper. See Rubber Off-set Process. 

Plant — The fixtures, machinery, tools, appa- 
ratus, etc., necessary to carry on any trade 
or mechanical operation or process. This 
term is now often applied to printing 
establishments. 



of Technical Terms 191 

Plastictype — A halftone engraving of a clay 
modeled design. The copy for an engrav- 
ing of this style may be modeled or carved, 
or it may be drawn or painted flat so as to 
give the effect of raised lettering or other 
design. An electro of a type form or a high 
relief engraving may be photographed 
and a similar effect produced. 

Plaster Process — A method of making stereo- 
type plates by the use of plaster. A mould 
of the type page is made by pouring over 
it plaster-of-paris ; this mould, when baked 
entirely dry, is filled with fluid type-metal. 
A process now rarely used. 

Plate — A duplicate, in one piece of metal, of 
the face of composed types, wood cuts, 
etc. Such plates are made by electrotype 
or stereotype process. A piece of metal 
engraved for impression on paper, etc., 
like a book plate, card plate. A print 
made from an engraved plate. 

Plate Printer— One who prints from intaglio 
copper or steel plates. See Copperplate 
Engraving, etc. 

Plated Paper — Made of new and old cotton 
rags, together with clay ; has good printing 
qualities for copper engravings, etchings, 
and photo-gravures ; quite permanent, 
but not strong. There is a great differ- 
ence in finish between two sides of sheet; 
it is usually unsized and not adapted for 
writing on with fluid ink. 



192 The Printer's Dictionary 

Plate Matter — Reading matter for newspa- 
pers and periodicals cast in stereotype 
plates and sold to be used by several pub- 
lishers in different places at practically 
the same time. The American Press Asso- 
ciation, which has branches in many large 
cities, furnishes plate matter of stories, 
household and fashion notes, anecdotes, 
etc., as well as special articles on timely 
topics and current news. This is in stereo- 
type plates for newspaper columns and 
the plates are made to fit on special bases 
which lock up with regular type forms. It 
is an economical method of publishing, as 
plates for different publishers are made 
from one type-setting, thus making the cost 
of each plate comparatively small. 

Platen — The flat part of the press facing the 
bed ; that which presses the sheet on the 
face of the type. 

Platen Press — That style of press which gives 
the impression from a flat surface — the 
hand press, Adams press, and small job 
presses; distinctive from cylinder press. 

Playing Cards — Cards for games are one of the 
oldest forms of printing, and were printed 
from engraved blocks and probably by 
stencils before the invention of typography. 
The manufacture of the regular "deck" of 
playing cards is one of the most highly 
specialized lines in the printing trade, and 
is carried on chiefly by only a few firms. 



of Technical Terms 193 

Plus Mark [+] — The sign of addition. 

Ply — In paper making, the number of sheets 
used to build up a sheet of cardboard, the 
sheets of paper being pasted together to 
make two-ply, three-ply, and thicker. 

Poetry — In setting poetry, the lines should 
be indented so as to make the stanzas ap- 
pear in the middle of the page. This is 
not difficult to do when the lines are some- 
where of an equal length, but in poems 
which have lines of greatly varying lengths 
it requires some calculation in order to 
secure this result without going over the 
matter a second time. If there is only an 
occasional long line it may be necessary 
to put it a little out of the center in order 
to make all the stanzas keep their place 
on the page. In the indention of lines of 
poetry, quads of even ems should be used, 
in order to secure uniform alignment of 
the beginning of lines, and the odd spaces 
needed for justification should be put after 
the last word in the line. It is customary 
to indent alike the lines which rhyme with 
each other, but this is often decided by 
the author, as is likewise the indention of 
irregular or unusal forms of verse. The 
punctuation by the author should also be 
followed, even if it does seem unusual ; and 
particular care should be exercised in 
reading copy to observe the use of uncom- 
mon words, or the uncommon use of fa- 
miliar words, which writers of poetry will 



194 The Printer's Dictionary 

often employ. Where quote-marks are 

used in poetry it is better, when they are 

at the beginning of the line, to place the 

inverted commas outside the alignment of 

the first letters : 

He sat upon the deck, 

The book was in his hand ; 
" Do not fear ! Heaven is as near," 
He said, " by water as by land ! " 

The three-to-em. space is sufficient blank 
to put between words in poetry set solid or 
single leaded ; when the lines are opened 
with two or three leads the en-quad space is 
needed. An old-time rule in many printing 
houses was to space all poetry with en- 
quads or double spaces. In solid lines, this 
wide-spacing gives a pigeon-holed appear- 
ance that is not pleasing, as may be noted 
in the following stanza : 

Blessings on thee, little man, 
Barefoot boy, with cheek of tan ! 
With thy turned up pantaloons, 
And thy merry whistled tunes. 

When a line of poetry is too long to come 
into the measure, it is turned over to the 
next line, the part thus turned over being 
indented so as to avoid confusing it with 
the beginning of the regular lines. 

The pressfeeder stands while deftly his hands' 
Pass the sheets gently one by one from the 
lift to the gauges. 
As the sheet gently glides down the board to 
the guides, 
He is thus by his skill daily earning his wages. 



of Technical Terms 195 

When space is scant and it is desired to 
avoid an extra type-line, this turned-over 
end is often put on the end of the line be- 
fore or after, as seen in church hymnals. 

A song to the Press, the Print in g-Press ! 

Of the good old-fashioned kind, 
Ere the giant machine, with its pulse of 

Elbows it out of mind. [steam, 

Point — A mark of punctuation ; also the mod- 
ern unit of type measurement. See Point 
System, Sizes of Type. 

Points — Pieces of steel placed in the furni- 
ture of book forms to mark the sheets as 
a guide in folding ; they are also used on 
some presses for securing exact register. 
"Feeding to points , ' is to place the sheets 
(in printing or in feeding to a folding ma- 
chine) so that the points on the machine 
will fit into the point-holes made at the 
first printing. This is done where good 
register cannot be obtained by feeding 
the edge of the sheets to side guides, as 
with uneven or deckle edges. 

Point System — Formerly there was no uni- 
form standard of type sizes, although most 
foundries made types in a certain relative 
proportion which entitled them to be called 
by certain names. But, as each foundry 
had a standard of its own, the printer who 
bought type from different founders had 
no assurance that the type bodies of one 
founder would exactly match that of the 
same name from another. The sizes of 






196 The Printer's Dictionary 

types now cast by American type-founders 
are graduated on a uniform scale know as 
the point system. The unit of the sy^.em 
is a division of space called a point ( 013S 
of an inch), and all types bodies are mul- 
tiples of and are measured by it. Each 
size is described by its number of points. 
See Sizes of Type. 

Polyglot — A book printed in several lan- 
guages, in order to unite various versions 
for the purpose of comparison. Since the 
early days of typography the Bible has 
been made in polyglot editions, all of them 
representing a high degree of scholarly 
and mechanical skill and immense expen- 
ditures of time and money. A visit to a 
library and an examination of some of 
these polyglot books will be of interest to 
any one interested in printing. 

Polytype — A name given to types which were 
cast together in one line and the letters 
then cut apart ; an impractical and dis- 
carded method of type-making. The word 
has been applied to a stereotype process 
and to a method of making logotypes. 

Post — A size of writing paper ; in England 
16 x 20 inches ; in America it is 17 x 22, 
or folio post, but the name post is dis- 
carded and it is simply folio. 

Pot Cap — An English size of writing paper, 
12^ X15 or 15^. 



of Technical Terms 197 

Poster — A sign intended to be affixed to a 
wall or board to convey some public an- 
nouncement. The use of such signs is 
probably as old as civilization itself ; but 
with the printing press came in a class of 

• signs more or less answering to the spe- 
cific modern use of the word poster. In 
Paris, in the seventeenth century, posters 
printed on colored paper came into use, 
and French, English, and American artists 
have of late years developed the poster to 
a thing of beauty and great effectiveness. 
American posters were first generally used 
to advertise the circus and the theatre ; 
since then they have been used for every 
sort of an announcement which the printer 
or his customer wished to make. Posters 
are printed from large wooden type, as 
well as from large sizes of metal type, from 
wood-cuts, zinc-plates, and by lithography. 
While occasional orders for small posters 
may be and often are printed in offices 
doing general jobbing, posters are now 
done mostly by houses making a specialty 
of this class of work. In connection with 
poster printing, bill-posting, that is the 
distributing and posting on walls or build- 
ings, has assumed immense proportions. 
The regular size for posters is now about 
28x42 inches; some are made on larger 
paper, but most large posters are now on 
two, four, six, or eight sheets, printed sep- 
arately in sections which will match each 






198 The Printer's Dictionary 

other, and put together by the bill-poster 
at his stands. Very large posters are sim- 
ply multiples of these smaller sheets. For 
this large work, large types, engravings, 
etc., are needed; sometimes a single letter 
may fill the bed of a large cylinder press. 
A printing office doing this class of work 
has stock cuts, borders, etc., of large size, 
made mostly of wood or zinc, and reg- 
ularly employs artists and engravers to 
make designs and cut blocks for special 
work. 

Poster Paper — A general term for the grades 
of paper suited to poster work, generally 
coarser but stronger than news and com- 
mon book paper; also made in bright colors. 

Poster Chase — A large chase without cross- 
bars, in which poster forms can be locked. 

Poster Stick — A large wooden composing 
stick for poster work. 

Poster Type— Large type for printing posters ; 
the larger sizes of cast metal types are 
used for this work, but the largest types 
are made of wood. See Wood Type, 

Postage Stamps. — The methods of making 
postage stamps have changed very greatly 
since they were first issued .(in England, 
1840). The early stamps were engraved 
by hand upon copper plates from which 
the impressions were taken. The engrav- 
ing of a number of stamps on one plate, 



of Technical Terms 199 

in order to print several at one impres- 
sion, was slow and expensive work. Later 
the stamp design was engraved on steel, 
and the common stamps of today are real 
steel engravings. The first step is to engrave 
the portrait in deep intaglio on steel which 
has been softened by a special process of 
decarbonization. Then the border of the 
stamp, with lettering and scroll work, is cut 
and the steel is hardened. This hardened 
die is next pressed with great force into the 
surface of a cylinder of softer steel, and 
produces the design in relief, the reverse 
of intaglio. This relief counterpart is in 
turn hardened and is used to press into 
another plate of softer steel, duplicating 
the design side by side, to make a plate 
from which stamps are printed. By this 
means of transfer any number of plates for 
printing may be made up with one original 
engraved die, insuring absolute exactness 
in duplicating the design, and an easy 
method of renewal of printing plates as 
they become worn or injured. The plate 
of dies as arranged in the press produces 
usually a sheet of four hundred stamps 
which, when finished, is cut in four and the 
stamps sent out to postmasters in sheets of 
one hundred. The general method of print- 
ing is similar to other copper and steel 
plate work — the ink is worked into the 
depressions of the die, the sheet laid on, 
and the impression made with a tympan 



200 The Printer's Dictionary 

which forces the sheet into the depressions 
to take up the ink. Hand presses are com- 
monly used for printing of this kind, but 
at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing 
at Washington, where all stamps are now 
made, power presses are used. Many de- 
tails of processes in making stamps are se- 
cret, and much special machinery is used 
in this work exclusively. Stamps are also 
printed by setting separate electrotypes 
side by side and then recasting them to- 
gether as a single solid plate. Stamps are 
also made by lithography. The printing 
of stamps by type and rules was an early 
and crude method, but was not satisfactory 
because of the ease of duplicating and con- 
sequently counterfeiting. The expense and 
difficulty of steel engraving make stamps 
printed in this way less liable to be coun- 
terfeited; it also makes possible the main- 
tenance of a uniformly high quality in the 
printing of the stamp. The punching of 
lines of small holes, called perforating, in 
order to allow easy separation of stamps 
in a sheet, was began about 1854; previ- 
ous to this the stamps were cut with scis- 
sors, then roulette wheels were used, as well 
as brass and steel perforating rules. 

Postal Card — The official blank card used 
by the Post Office Department for carry- 
ing short messages at less than regular let- 
ter rate (one cent for domestic, two cents for 



of Technical Terms 201 

foreign) . The regulation size is now ( 1 9 1 o) 
SV^Z/i inches. A quick and economical 
method of sending a notice or message 
through the mails to a number of persons 
is to print it on the back of postal cards. 
All printers should be familiar with the 
Post Office regulations relating to these 
cards, as well as to post cards, stamped 
paper, and similar matter which they will 
at some time or other have to deal with. A 
copy of these regulations may be obtained 
of any postmaster. 

Postal Tube — Made of card or straw board, 
for mailing large prints, drawings, etc. 

Post Card — A private mailing card (or post 
card) with a written or printed message, 
to be sent in the domestic mails, must con- 
form to the following conditions : It must 
be an unfolded piece of card not exceeding 
3 9 /i6 by 5%6, nor less than 2% by 4 inches ; 
it must be in form and in quality and 
weight of paper substantially like the gov- 
ernment postal card ; it may be of any 
color not interfering with a legible address 
and postmark; it may or may not, at option 
of the sender, bear near the top of the face 
the words " Post Card"; face of card may 
be divided by a vertical line ; left half to 
be used for message, etc., but right half 
is for address only ; very thin sheets of 
paper which may bear both writing and 
printing may be attached to card, but must 



202 The Printer's Dictionary 

completely adhere thereto; advertisements 
and illustrations may appear on back of 
card and on left half of face. Cards, with- 
out cover, conforming to foregoing condi- 
tions are transmissible in domestic mails 
and to Cuba, Canada, Mexico, Republic of 
Panama, and United States postal agency 
of Shanghai, China, at the postage rate of 
one cent each. When post cards are pre- 
pared by printers and stationers for sale, 
it is desirable that they bear in the upper 
right-hand corner of the face an oblong 
diagram containing the words "Place post- 
age stamp here," and at the bottom of the 
space to the right of the vertical dividing 
line, "This space for the address." Cards 
which do not conform to prescribed condi- 
tions are, when sent in the mails, chargeable 
with postage according to the character of 
the message — at the letter rate (two cents 
per ounce or fraction) if wholly or partly in 
writing, or at the third-class rate (one cent 
per two ounces or fraction) if entirely in 
print. Cards bearing particles of glass, 
metal, mica, sand, tinsel, or other similar 
substances, are unmailable, except when 
enclosed in envelopes. Mailing cards en- 
tirely printed for advertising or other an- 
nouncements, may be of any convenient 
size and shape, single or folded, and are 
chargeable at third-class rate. 
Potash — An alkali dissolved and diluted with 
water, used to wash type forms. See Lye. 



of Technical Terms 203 

Pound Mark — The commercial sign repre- 
senting pound in weight, lb ; also the £ 
denoting the pound sterling in English 
currency, etc. The character is derived 
from the Latin word libra, pound. In the 
absence of the ligature ft the letters lb. are 
used, and the plural erroneously formed 
as lbs. 

Preface — This feature, with the title page 
and table of contents, is the most familiar 
" front matter " of a book. A preface is 
usually a word of explanation either from 
the author, the editor, or the publisher, 
and it will often be advisable to put it in a 
style showing some distinction from the 
regular text pages. In the ordinary book, 
however, there need be little in its typo- 
graphic style to distinguish it from the 
regular pages of the work. The same type 
face and same size, with the heading sim- 
ilar to that of the chapter heads, will be a 
safe style to follow. If the preface is brief, 
occupying a single page, the lines may be 
leaded wider; if it is desired to keep a 
lengthy preface in small space, the lines 
may be set solid, or a smaller size type 
employed. Italic letter of a style to har- 
monize with the rest of the book often 
may be used with good effect for a short 
preface. The selection of a type that is dis- 
tinctly different from the other parts of the 
work is not commended ; nor should prom- 
inent initials or head-pieces be used if 



204 The Printer's Dictionary 

these features are not employed in the 
other divisions of the book. When head- 
pieces and initials are used at the begin- 
ning of chapters, they may be used for the 
preface, or they may be properly omitted 
and the prefatory page set in plain fashion. 

Preliminary Matter — The title, preface, table 
of contents, etc., which comes before the 
main text of a book; the front matter. 

Press — The machine or apparatus used to 
press the paper on the type, engraving, or 
plate. For printing there are three distinct 
mechanical methods of imparting this im- 
pression. The first method is the platen 
press, whereby the paper is pressed with 
a smooth, flat surface on the flat face of 
the printing form, as illustrated here : 



.mimiimiiiiiiiiii * 






THEORY OF THE PLATEN PRESS. 

a platen, b type form, c bed. 

This was the principle of the first printing 
presses. The platen was a smooth block 
of wood, and the impression was given by 
means of a screw turning in a nut fixed 
to the upper part of the apparatus. The 
bed was originally of wood also, but later 
it was a flat stone, and about the year 1 790 
iron began to be used. (For description of 
the early hand presses, see Lockwood's 



of Technical Terms 205 

American Dictionary of Printing and Book- 
making; also De Vinne's Invention of Print- 
ing (p. 5 2 7 etseq.) The common forms of job 
presses such as the Gordons (Chandler & 
Price, Peerless, Challenge, etc.), Falcon, 
Golding, Pearl, Prouty, Universal, " Colt's 
Armory/' etc., are platen machines. The 
usual sizes of these presses print forms 
from business-card size up to 14x22 inches. 
The second class of presses is known as 
the flat-bed-and-cylinder style. In this the 
impression is given by the surface of a 
cylinder which revolves and gives the im- 
pression while the flat bed containing the 
printing form passes underneath. 




c 

THEORY OF THE FLAT-BED CYLINDER PRESS. 

a. printing cylinder, b type form, c bed. 

Printing with a cylinder was first made 
practical about 18 14 in England. (See 
Konig Press.) There are now many dif- 
ferent makes of this style of press, and 
they are again classified in two distinct 
types: the drum cylinder (the older style), 
in which the cylinder makes one revolution 
while the bed moves forward for the im- 
pression and returns for the next; and the 
modern two-revolution style, in which a 
smaller cylinder makes one revolution for 
the impression and then, rising slightly, 



206 The Printer's Dictionary 

makes another revolution without impres- 
sion while the bed is returning to the start- 
ing point for the next impression. The 
drum cylinder is large and prints with only 
part of its surface, then rises slightly and 
continues its revolution while the bed re- 
turns for the next impression. In both kinds, 
the cylinder has a small opening in its sur- 
face, in which is fitted a rod with grippers 
that catch the sheet of paper at the proper 
moment and carry it around for the im- 
pression ; then releasing the sheet when 
printed, so that it is carried on the receiv- 
ing table by another part of the mech- 
anism. There are many different varieties 
of these presses and they are employed for 
all classes of typographic and relief plate 
printing, as well as for lithographic work. 
The sizes made range from those printing 
forms 22 x 28 inches up to about 47 x 66 
inches. 



OO 



THEORY OF THE ROTARY PRESS. 

a cylinder containing curved stereotypes or electrotypes. 
b the impression cylinder. The sheet of paper passes 
between the two. 

The third class of printing presses is the 
rotary, or those which employ a cylinder 
for the printing form as well as for the im- 
pressional surface. Of this style are the 
machines used for daily newspapers and 
magazines of large circulation, in which 



of Technical Terms 207 

the paper is run from a continuous web or 
roll. The printing forms for machines of 
this kind are stereotypes (for newspapers) 
cast in curved shape, or curved electro- 
types for the better grades of work. These 
plates are curved to fit the cylinder surface, 
and are held in place by clamps or catches 
at the sides of the plates. 

In England the word press is restricted 
to the style of apparatus which we call the 
handpress, and the more complicated mod- 
ern machine operated by power is known 
as a machine; in this country the word/ravr 
is applied to all machines for printing, 
stamping, and similar purposes. 

Press Board — A smooth board of seasoned 
hard wood, usually bound with a strip of 
brass or metal, used to press sheets of 
paper or bound books smooth and flat in 
a standing press. Bookbinder's board, a 
strong glazed cardboard, much used for 
cylinder covers, or packing, and for platen 
tympans, is also called press board. 

Press Counter — A small attachment for reg- 
istering the number of impressions printed. 
It is attached where a small lever is oper- 
ated at each impressional movement of the 
press, this lever in turn operating a number 
of small wheels in the interior ; on these 
wheels are the ten figures, 1 to o, and as 
the counter is operated the figures are pre- 
sented in sequence at openings on the face. 



208 The Printer's Dictionary 

Pressman — One who operates a printing- 
press, or has charge of one. A press feeder 
is not usually termed a pressman unless 
he also makes ready and manages a press. 

Press Points — See Points. 

Press Proof- — A proof made with care by put- 
ting the form on the press and making 
ready in one or more colors, as the work 
would be ultimately printed, in distinction 
from rough proof made by usual methods. 
Also the final proof, either from type or 
electros, passed by author or proofreader, 
signifying that the work is ready for print- 
ing. See Proof. 

Press Punch — A small device for punching 
holes in a sheet of paper or card at the 
same time that it is printed. One style is 
secured to the tympan of the platen press, 
like a feed gauge, so that the edge of the 
sheet is fed between its two lips, one lip 
having a punch and the other the corre- 
sponding hole. The printing impression 
forces the two parts together and punches 
the hole in the sheet. Another style of press 
punch is like a large type, made of steel, 
and is locked in position with the type 
form. It punches the hole in the sheet 
simultaneously with the printing. This 
style has, inside of the round cutting edge, 
an ejector supported by a spiral spring 
which pushes out the small pieces of paper 
cut from the sheet, as soon as the impres- 
sion is released. 



of Technical Terms 209 

Press Revise — A sheet from the form made 
ready on the press, to revise for final cor- 
rections, etc. 

Press Room — The department of a printing 
establishment where presses are operated. 

Presswork — This commonly includes all the 
operations necessary for printing, emboss- 
ing, bronzing, scoring (when done on a 
press), and all kinds of labor which per- 
tains to the press after it is erected and in 
running order. The setting up of a press 
is not now deemed part of a pressman's 
work, as it was formerly. On account of 
the complexity of modern machines, as 
well as the introduction of new devices, the 
erection of a press is done by a machinist 
conversant with the particular style of 
press. Presswork includes caring for roll- 
ers, inks, and paper, as well as the proper 
handling of the press and the form, and 
calls for skill in proportion to the class of 
printing done. 

Print — An impression from a plate, engrav- 
ing, etc. A book, periodical, or other pub- 
lication which is no longer in stock is said 
to be "out of print, ,, although it may be 
obtained of second-hand dealers or others. 

Print Paper — The common grades of unsized 
paper, such as used for newspapers, mag- 
azines, books, etc., as distinguished from 
writing paper, wrapping paper, etc. 



210 The Printer's Dictionary 

Printer — One who follows the occupation of 
printing, either as workman or employer; 
nowadays a very comprehensive term, 
which should have some qualifying ad- 
jective, such as book printer, newspaper 
printer, job printer, lithographic printer, 
plate printer, etc. Very inconsistently the 
term "printer" seems often to be applied 
to those who are merely compositors and 
have little or nothing to do with presswork, 
or printing. 

Printer } s Bible — A Bible printed prior to 

1702, mentioned by Rev. Cotton Mather, 

containing the word printers in place of 

princes in Psalm cxix : 161. " Printers have 

persecuted me without cause." 

Printers Devil — The errand boy in a print- 
ing office. See Devil. 

Printing Ink — A mechanical combination of 
boiled oil and black or colored pigment, 
used to make visible and permanant the 
impression of type, engravings, etc., on 
paper. Printing ink is not at all like writ- 
ing ink, but is more like paint, with cer- 
tain qualities which are necessary for its 
peculiar use. It must distribute in a thin 
film freely and easily, and it must work 
sharp and clean, without spreading; it 
must adhere to the type readily, and yet 
come off as readily and adhere to the 
paper ; it must not dry too quickly, but 
should dry hard in several hours after 



of Technical Terms 211 

being deposited on the paper. For many 
printing inks linseed oil is used, often with 
some rosin oil ; and rosin oil alone is used 
for the cheaper, coarser grades. Linseed 
oil is prepared by boiling at a high tem- 
perature until all the moisture and volatile 
substances are eliminated, and for the 
stiff varnishes the greasy portion is burned 
out, and certain chemicals are generally 
added to give drying qualities. Ink is 
made by mixing certain proportions of 
this varnish and color pigment, the mix- 
ture varying in quantity and quality ac- 
cording to the nature of the pigment and 
the kind of ink required. Different pig- 
ments have been used for making black 
ink — black minerals, lampblack, or soot, 
ivory black, and carbon black — but car- 
bon black is now mostly used because of 
its superior covering quality and density. 
Black ink, however, is often toned with a 
little blue to give it depth and richness, 
as the natural pigment has a reddish or 
brownish hue. 

Color pigments are derived from three 
sources : mineral (native and artificial pig- 
ments); vegetable (native pigments, lakes 
and indirect products); animal (native pig- 
ments, lakes and indirect products). In the 
native mineral pigments, genuine ultra- 
marine blue stands first in brilliancy of 
color, and although matched artificially it 
will never be equalled for transparency 



212 The Printer's Dictionary 

and durability. Yellow ochre, raw sienna, 
raw umber, and Indian red, are all made 
of imported earths. Artificial mineral pig- 
ments are derived through chemical action, 
and include such colors as vermilion, arti- 
ficial ultramarine blue, Chinese white, 
pure scarlet, emerald green. In fact, the 
advance in chemistry has been so rapid 
that almost any pigment can be closely 
duplicated by artificial means. Gamboge, 
a gum from a tree in Ceylon ; indigo, from 
the leaves of the indigo plant; madder 
lake, from the roots of the madder plant ; 
and yellow lake, from the quercitron bark, 
are some of the pigments of the vegetable 
kingdom. Indian yellow, a deposit from 
the urine of the camel ; sepia, a secretion 
of the cuttle-fish ; carmine, made by crush- 
ing the cochineal insect ; and indirectly, 
lamp-black, the soot of burning vegetable 
oils, are products of the animal kingdom. 
All pigments are not suited for printing 
ink manufacture. Many of them, while 
extremely useful in other ways, do not pos- 
sess the chemical properties for combin- 
ing with varnish and produciug the clear, 
even impression that ink must possess. 
Covering power is one of the most, if not 
the most, important property of a pigment. 
In comparing samples of different makes 
of the same color, that sample which shows 
the strongest covering powers is consid- 
ered the best, other qualities being equal. 



of Technical Terms 213 

Covering power varies greatly in dif- 
ferent pigments. Some pigments are re- 
cognized as being transparent and are 
used as such. Carmine, lakes, ultrama- 
rines, etc., belong to this class. Coloring 
power is not infrequently confused with 
covering power, but it is a distinctly dif- 
ferent property from the latter. For exam- 
ple, a color may possess great coloring 
power and yet be deficient in covering 
power. To illustrate : Prussian blue is one 
of the most powerful coloring pigments 
known to the color world, yet in body it 
is almost transparent. This color and 
others of the same characteristics are 
therefore chiefly dealt with from the point 
of coloring power. In making ink, great 
care must be taken as to the order in which 
the different ingredients are added. Some 
colors must be ground hot, some fast, and 
some slow, and the skill in doing these 
constitutes a good part of the formula. 
The kind of paper stock used should 
determine the grade of ink. Heavy, rough, 
colored papers need entirely different ink 
from smooth, white paper, and require 
opaque colors — that is, ink made from 
such pigments as do not allow the color 
of the stock to show through them and 
transmit this color into their own. A trans- 
parent red printed on a green stock turns 
brown, but an opaque cover ink retains its 
own color because it is so dense that no 



214 The Printer's Dictionary 

light is able to penetrate through it. Cover 
inks should be of a heavy body and so full 
of color that one pound will have almost 
enough color in it to make two pounds of 
ordinary transparent ink. Great care is 
used in selecting the pigments for these 
inks, and only those are used which are 
known to have great covering capacity. 
Ink for enamel-coated papers is of an en- 
tirely different nature, and must be made 
according to the surface of the paper. 

Printers' Marks — Emblems or devices used 
by printers on their work, serving the pur- 
pose of trade-marks. Among early printers 
these devices were common, and these are 
now of considerable interest and signifi- 
cance. Many modern printers and print- 
ing firms use devices as imprints. See 
Imprint. 

Printer's Oblong — A rectangle in which the 
diagonal line from one corner to another 
is twice the length of the shortest side. 
This is approximately the shape of the 
usual book page, and is a pleasing pro- 
portion either as an upright or a " broad " 
page. 

Printer's Ream — In England, 516 sheets. 

Priory Text — A style of black letter or Old 
English based on early manuscript and 
printed work. It has many variations and 
is called by other names. See Old English. 

specimen of $riorp Qtett 



of Technical Terms 215 

Process Engraving — The general term ap- 
plied to printing surfaces produced by 
chemical and mechanical means ; more 
especially the photo-mechanical processes 
by which zinc etchings, halftones, etc., are 
produced. The relief etching, or process 
block, is the simplest and cheapest method 
of making an engraving. By this process 
the metal, usually zinc, is eaten away with 
acid in the white places of the design, 
the printing lines and dots being protected 
by a composition which resists the action 
of the acid. The design may be drawn 
on by hand or transferred from another 
surface, but the more common method is 
by photographic process, as follows : The 
thin, polished zinc or copper plate, coated 
with a solution of fish glue or albumen 
mixed with a bichromate, is exposed to light 
under a reversed photographic negative of 
the picture or design, which changes the 
nature of the coating where the light hits 
it. The plate is then washed with water, 
which removes the unchanged part of the 
coating, leaving the lines of the picture in 
hardened glue or albumen. It is then 
etched with the acid, and after the large 
blank spaces are cut out a little deeper, 
the plate is trimmed and mounted type- 
high. Zinc etching is the process of en- 
graving commonly used for newspapers 
and for the ordinary grades of periodical 
and commercial work. The copy for re- 



216 The Printer's Dictionary 

production is usually drawn with a pen on 
white paper or card, with perfectly black 
ink, and all the degrees of light and shade 
must be produced by dots and lines of 
varying widths and distances apart Pho- 
tographs, wash-drawings, and fine-grained 
or tinted pictures must have their essen- 
tial parts translated into distinct lines in 
order to be engraved by this method. 
Halftone engraving is done practically 
by the same methods as zinc etching, the 
difference being that, in photographing, 
a screen is interposed between the sensi- 
tive plate in the camera and picture or 
design. This screen is placed near the 
plate, and, the light passing through it, 
the object on the negative is broken 
up into a mass of small squares, or dots 
which are larger or smaller as the corres- 
ponding parts of the copy are darker or 
lighter. This screen negative is then 
placed beside a polished and sensitized 
copper (sometimes zinc) plate, and after 
exposure to light, the plate is developed 
and manipulated so as to protect the dots 
on its surface from the action of the acid 
with which it is afterward etched. The 
plate is then trimmed and mounted, as for 
a zinc plate. The halftone screen varies 
in fineness from 80 to 250 lines to an inch, 
according to the coarseness or fineness of 
the plate required, this being determined 
by the finish of the paper to be used and 



of Technical Terms 217 

the care with which it may be printed. 
The coarse screen is best suited for the 
rapid work and cheaper paper of a daily 
newspaper, while a screen of 125 to 200 
lines, on smooth, coated papers, printed 
on slow presses, gives finer results in the 
picture. The finer the screen used, the 
shallower the plate can be etched, and 
smooth paper and fine ink must be used 
in order to print it clearly without blurring. 
Proof— After types are set their correctness 
must be verified before they are ready to 
be printed. For this purpose a trial im- 
pression is taken, in order that the compo- 
sition may be examined and needed cor- 
rections made. This trial impression is 
the printer's proof, and the time and care 
given to it is a matter of very great impor- 
tance in every printing room. By any of 
the usual methods employed in taking 
proofs, the first operation, after the type 
is secured so that it will stand squarely on 
its feet, is to roll ink on its face ; then a 
sheet of paper is laid on and impressed so 
as to take a transfer of the ink. This im- 
pression may be made : 
First — By pounding the paper carefully 
on the type with a flat-faced, felt-covered 
block called a proof planer. 
Second — By placing the type on a roller 
proof press, w r here the impression is made 
by moving over it a heavy iron roller cov- 
ered with thick cloth or felt. 



218 The Printer's Dictionary 

Third — By placing the type on a hand- 
press. Here the type is inked, the sheet 
laid on, then the tympan turned down, the 
bed run under the platen, and the bar 
pulled over. To " pull a proof " is to take 
it by this latter method, but the term is 
commonly meant to take a proof by any 
method. 

In many cases a number of successive 
proofs may be taken from the same page 
of type during its preparation for the final 
printing ; and in book-printing houses 
these several proofs may be taken at dif- 
ferent stages by all three of the above 
methods. When the compositor finishes 
his work of setting the lines and they are 
locked in the galley by means of side-stick 
and quoins, the first proof 'is usually taken 
on a roller press. After this proof has 
been examined by the proof reader, and 
the necessary corrections made in the 
metal, another proof is taken. If there are 
many changes, or the work calls for extra 
care, other proofs may be required. A 
revise proof is one that is taken after cor- 
recting the type, to see that all corrections 
marked on the previous proof have been 
properly made and that no new errors 
have crept in. After the galley matter is 
corrected and made up into pages, with 
headings, page numbers, notes, etc., the 
pages are tied up with strong strings and 
are again proved on a hand-press. Possibly 



of Technical Terms 219 

the pages may need several revisions and 
other proofs at this stage ; or, if they are 
to be electrotyped, guard-lines are placed 
around each page and they are locked in 
foundry chases (in pairs, if they are pages 
of ordinary size) and foundry proofs are 
pulled. The final proofs are taken when 
the pages are imposed and locked in the 
chase, ready for the press. At this stage 
the form of eight, twelve, or more book 
pages is too large for the hand-press, and 
in order to avoid loss of time on the large 
printing press, while waiting for final re- 
vision, a proof is taken by beating with 
the proof planer. See Proof Planer. 
A good quality of moderately stiff ink 
should be used for taking proofs ; to use 
a cheap, thin, or oily ink is not satisfactory 
and in the end is the most expensive. If 
the ink is to stay on the roller and ink- 
slab all day, a quick-drying ink should be 
avoided. Use the smallest quantity of ink 
necessary to get a distinct impression, and 
distribute it thoroughly on the ink-slab. 
If the roller has too much ink, a muddy 
proof will be the result. A gray proof is 
preferable to a smutted one, or one that 
the proof reader cannot handle without 
rubbing it dirty. A proof with too much 
ink or too much impression makes difficult 
the detection of bad letters. To take off 
any surplus ink that may have been needed 
for a previous form, run the roller slowly 
over a sheet of waste paper. 



220 The Printer's Dictionary 

The paper used for proofs should not be 
of the poorest quality. Book paper with 
a reasonably smooth surface, slightly 
dampened, will suffice for office proofs and 
galley proofs. Hand-press proofs from 
made-up pages, intended for the author or 
customer, should be made on good paper 
of clear color and strong enough to bear 
handling. Coated paper is sometimes used 
for special proofs in which engravings or 
fine lines occur. Each proof sheet should 
have a white margin of an inch or more 
on the sides, to permit of marking correc- 
tions by the proof reader. A number of 
pages or galleys, or a succession of proofs 
of the same work, should be made on sheets 
of the same size and, if possible, of the 
same grade of stock. Proofs taken on odd 
scraps of paper of different sizes make 
trouble for the proof reader and the fore- 
man, and cause confusion and liability to 
error in keeping track of the work. A sup- 
ply of proof paper, cut in the several sizes 
frequently used, and kept in a convenient 
place, is the only satisfactory method of 
securing neat and orderly proofs. 

Proof Planer — A block of hard wood about 
7x3^ inches and 2 inches thick, having 
its face covered with a piece of felt or thick 
cloth, used to take proofs. The type or 
electro is inked and a sheet of proof paper 
is dampened evenly all over with a sponge, 



of Technical Terms 221 

so that it is limp but not too wet. The side 
of the sheet that is not sponged is then laid 
on the type; the proof planer, held in one 
hand, is carefully placed on the sheet with 
the cloth side down, and with a mallet in 
the other hand the planer is hit with a 
steady blow to press the paper on the type. 
Some care and practice is needed to get just 
the right quantity of ink on the type, the 
right degree of dampness in the sheet, and 
the right kind of blow on the back of the 
planer to produce a clear impression. If the 
page or galley matter is too large for the 
planer to cover at one blow, the pounding is 
started near the top of the matter and as 
each blow-is struck the planer is moved over 
the surface until the whole has received the 
impression. Care must be taken to hold the 
planer steady on the type, and to hit the 
planer so that the force of the blow will be 
exactly perpendicular, otherwise the least 
disturbance of the sheet sideways will result 
in a slurred proof. The planer must be held 
firmly and perfectly level, and not allowed 
to slip sideways or rebound. With a large 
mallet a steadier blow may sometimes be 
given by holding the mallet-head upright 
and hitting with the end of the handle. 
Special care should be taken not to beat 
the planer too hard on open parts of a form 
or on exposed lines, where even a slight 
blow will break through the paper and also 
batter the types. 



222 The Printer's Dictionary 

Proof Print — An early impression of an en- 
graving, taken with more care than an 
ordinary proof. 

Proof Press — The two most common styles 
of presses for taking proofs are the platen 
hand press (see Hand Press) and the roller 
galley-proof press. For most kinds of work 
the hand press is superior. The roller 
press is a simple, economical apparatus, 
takes up little room, and is mpre especially 
adapted for taking proofs of long galley 
matter. The common roller proof press 
has an iron frame upon which is mounted 
an oblong, flat bed, also of iron. On two 
sides of this bed are ledges upon which 
an iron cylinder, having its face covered 
with thick, strong cloth or felt, may be 
moved back and forth. When the galley of 
type is placed on the bed, and the type 
has been inked with a hand roller, a strip 
of paper is laid on and the cylinder moved 
over it to give the impression. Dry paper 
may be used for small forms, or even for 
galley proofs, but paper that is slightly 
dampened will be more satisfactory. The 
cylinder and the ledges upon which it rests 
are adjusted so that it gives the right im- 
pression with the galley under the type. 
In the absence of a galley, as when the 
page is made up and tied with a string, a 
sheet of metal or thick mill-board is placed 
under the type to bring it to the required 
height. Differences in the height of type, 



of Technical Terms 223 

caused by varying thicknesses of galley- 
bottoms, are regulated by adding sheets 
of paper or card on top of the proof sheet 
or under the type or galley. Careful at- 
tention to the impression is necessary on 
a proof press of this style. Too often this 
work is left to careless boys, who habit- 
ually make the impression heavier than is 
needed, to the speedy ruin of the type and 
engravings. 

In daily newspaper rooms galley proofs 
are taken on presses of the roller style, 
with the additional improvement that the 
type is inked and the paper fed from a 
roll automatically, the needed apparatus 
being attached to a carriage that moves 
back and forth with the cylinder that gives 
the impression. By this arrangement the 
only labor necessary is to place the galley 
of type on the bed and move the roller 
carriage over it by means of a crank. 
A recent invention is a press by which the 
impression is given by a curved surface, 
covered with felt, like the section of a 
printing cylinder. This is geared to the 
frame, and, by pulling a handle, is turned 
over onto the form, which has been inked 
in the usual manner and has the proof 
sheet laid on it. 
Proof Puller — The person, usually a boy, 
whose duty it is to take proofs at the press 
in a newspaper or book office employing 
a number of hands. 



224 The Printer's Dictionary 



Proof Reader — One who reads proofs. The 
work of a proof reader is to read the proof 
sheets and mark any needed corrections 
with pen or pencil. Incidentally there 
may be other duties assigned to him, such 
as collecting and arranging copy, revising 
proofs to see that corrections have been 
properly made, taking care of copy after 
it has been used, until the work is com- 
pleted and copy is bundled up for preser- 
vation or otherwise disposed of. Different 
usages are in vogue in different printing 
houses regarding these details. In small 
establishments one person may be able to 
attend to the reading of proof and all 
details connected therewith ; but in larger 
shops, especially where there is book, pe- 
riodical, and other work calling for much 
reading, several persons are required and 
the work is divided so as to secure expe- 
ditious and accurate results. The proof 
reader's usual assistant is the copy holder, 
or one who holds and reads the copy aloud 
while the proof reader looks on the proof 
sheet and marks the errors. On work 
of an important nature, like historical, 
scientific, or technical books, the reading 
of proofs will be done by several proof 
readers in turn, in addition to the author's 
reading. The first reader will commonly 
look for the compositor's errors, such as 
misspelling, imperfect and wrong-font let- 
ters, inverted letters, bad spacing, irreg- 






of Technical Terms 225 

ular indentions of paragraphs, deviations 
from copy, and other typographical mat- 
ters ; obvious mistakes in grammar, incor- 
rect use of words, and similar literary 
errors will also be noted, and either cor- 
rected or called to the attention of the 
author or the editor. 

A practical knowledge of the compositor's 
work is necessary to read proof success- 
fully. To be competent, a proof reader 
should have, in addition to a thorough 
knowledge of printing, a quick eye, a good 
acquaintance with literature and general 
affairs, as well as thorough familiarity 
with punctuation, spelling, use of capitals, 
etc. To the compositor and proof reader 
there are a thousand and one small mat- 
ters that require correction, which do not 
appear to the ordinary reader of the com- 
pleted work. The author may capitalize a 
word in one place and omit the capital in 
another similar case ; an abbreviation may 
be used once and the same word spelled 
in full elsewhere ; figures used in one line 
and the number spelled out a few lines 
further on ; words of variable spelling may 
be one way in one page and according to 
another dictionary on the next page ; the 
use of punctuation marks may be incor- 
rect and inconsistent ; statements of fact 
even may be inaccurate, through thought- 
lessness or lack of technical experience. 
Then there is "style of the office," or the 



226 The Printer's Dictionary 

publication, which must be adhered to in 
certain matters. This "style" is the adop- 
tion of certain forms with regard to abbre- 
viations, capitals, italic, kind of type, etc., 
in order to maintain uniformity. 

Proof Reader's Marks — Used to indicate re- 
quired corrections in type. The following 
is a list of proof reader's marks in common 
use. An example of their use is shown on 
page 230. 

€s Dele; takeout. (See note below.) 

0} Turn inverted letter right side up. 

jXqJ Let it stand ; change made was wrong. 

3% Take out character and close up. 

^ Change imperfect letter. 

Period. 

r-| Em-quad, for indention, etc. 

\^/ Apostrophe. 

sfi &t- y/ Comma. 

Dele, imperative sing, of L. delerc to destroy, [Cf. Delete]. 
(Print) Erase; remove; — a direction to cancel something 
which has been put in type ; usually expressed by a peculiar 
form of d. — Webster' s Dictionary . 



1 



of Technical Terms 227 



3£ 


Space. 


A 


Caret ; indicates where to insert. 


H~- 


Hyphen. 


>>o ff 


No paragraph ; run in. 


tM f- 


Wrong font — size or style of type. 


7F 


Transpose. 


h-1^>vt_ . 


Use roman letter. 


ifcsJL 


Use italic. 



U 



' ( 7 J Query ; word, spelling, etc., in doubt. 

Use lower-case letter. 

Move line or word to right or to left,. 

~7> IJ j Take out lead. 

/V7 *y caorj^Au^ When omitted' words cannot be conven- 
ts— ixJLtL <^rpy i ent i y written in the margin. 

v£y (3J Signs or abbreviations ringed in copy should 
be spelled out. 



/^-^, 



'1^1^ or eg. %£ Make spacing of words uniform. 
-L or I Push down space, quad, etc. 



Straighten up ends of lines. 



228 The Printer's Dictionary 



Close up. 



I Raise word, line, etc. 
J Lower word, or line, etc. 



Cap. Use capital letter. 
sm.cap. or s. c. Use small capitals 

==z Three lines under words signify CAPITALS. 

==: Two lines signify small capitals. 

One line signifies italics. 

v^-^,-v,^^.-v Use heavy-face type. 

fl Use ligature (fi, ff, fl, ffi, ffl, etc.) 

Proof Sheet — A printer's proof. 

Proof in Slips — That is, as the matter is on 
the galley, before it is made up into pages. 

Publish — To make known publicly ; to put 
forth ; to issue ; as a newspaper, magazine, 
book, etc. A publisher is usually under- 
stood as one who makes and sells printed 
matter at first-hand. He need not be a 
printer, engraver, or binder, but many pub- 
lishers carry on their own printing, bind- 
ing, or engraving rooms, while others hire 
one or all these operations done outside. 
Printing is the manufacture and publish- 
ing is the selling of printed matter. 



of Technical Terms 229 

Pull a Proof- — To take a proof ; originally, to 
pull over the bar of a hand press and take 
an impression. See Proof. 

Pull- Out — Types which have been pulled out 
by the suction of in king rollers on the press. 
Pull-outs are due to faulty workmanship in 
justifying and locking up, or they may be 
laid to the pressman who unlocks a form 
on the press for the purpose of planing 
down, changing register, etc., and does not 
relock the form so as to hold all the type 
in place. 

PulpBoard— Stiff, thick cardboard of cheap 
grade, made of wood pulp rolled into 
sheets, as distinguished from pasteboard, 
which is formed by pasting sheets of card 
and paper together ; used for box-making, 
book covers, etc. 

Punch — In type founding, an original die of 
the letter or character to be cast. The let- 
ter is cut on the end of a small bar of soft 
steel, which is afterwards hardened and 
becomes the punch. This punch is used 
to drive an impression into a bar of copper, 
which in turn becomes a matrix to be used 
for casting the face of the type. See Type 
Founding. 

Punching Machine — For punching holes of 
various sizes and shapes in cards, signs, 
pamphlets, etc. They are made in sev- 
eral styles, operated by a hand lever, by 
foot treadle, or by mechanical power. 



230 The Printer's Dictionary 



Showing use of Proof Reader's Marks 

Ccfa. THE SCHOOL ^ PRINTING— 3 <^^^- 
ftncafss. (^"Th^ School of Printing was established in 
y/ January, icjoaby the North End Union, under 

the supervision of a numberje adimr j((ffimast er ~hf~ 
printers of Boston. It has had t (^demonstr ate ~ 9$fc 
fuA^JLh its purpose in practical an^ is gradually being (p 
_^ recognized by those who relize the important a. / 
^UlJv^stZe. neec j j n tne tra( j e f a method of ^e^hnical in- -4^- (P 



struction. 



The aim of the School is to give fundamental •? 

and generaljinstruction in printing-office work, to 2f 
and to offer young men entering the trade an 
o pportunity .to learn the things which are be- j-o-v** 
CIcoming each year more and more difficult for^-- J^L 
the apprentice to obtain in the restricted and / ^H 

specialized conditions of the modern workshop. 
\~\ Crfr /^The course^study errTb^ces bookxommercial O j/j/ 
and advertising composition, and platen press- 
CtjLA work. The School is ou - pplied with hand^several 




■$=? job presses, romanand display types of v; 



various 



[•a/a 



^ 



job presses, romanand display types 

styles, v and u the ^usual Turniture^nd material of ^^ 



% 



v a modern printing offi/cejfhe School is con 



a 



tinuous and pupils may enter at any &»^-time. C? 
The hours are identical with those of a regular 
y~ "h workshop, from 7.40 a.m to 5.45 p.m., excepting 
Saturday afternoon. 

The tuition fee for one year is $100. Appli- 
cants must be sixteen years of age or over. 

Further information may be obtained by ad- 
dressing Samuel F. H ubbard , 20 Parmenter P>^ t<^6* 









Street, Boston. ^> 



V ^U^g>r-v^Ct 



[For explanation of the above marks see pages 226-8.] 



of Technical Terms 231 



1'he Corrected Proof 

THE SCHOOL OF PRINTING 

The School of Printing was established in 
January, igoo, by the North End Union, under 
the supervision of a number of leading master 
printers of Boston. It has had to demonstrate 
its purpose in practical results and is gradually 
being recognized by those who realize the im- 
portant need in the trade of a systematic method 
of technical instruction. 

The aim of the School is to give fundamental 
and general instruction in printing-office work, 
and to offer young men entering the trade an 
opportunity, through a system of indentured 
apprenticeship, to learn the things which are 
becoming each year more and more difficult for 
the apprentice to obtain in the restricted and 
specialized conditions of the modern workshop. 

The course of study embraces book, commer- 
cial, and advertising composition, and platen 
press-work. The School is supplied with one 
hand-press and several job presses, roman and 
display types of various styles, and the usual 
furniture and material of a modern printing 
office. 

The School is continuous and pupils may 
enter at any time. The hours are identical with 
those of a regular workshop, from 7.40 a.m. to 
5.45 p.m., excepting Saturday afternoon. 

The tuition fee for one year is $100. Appli- 
cants must be sixteen years of age or over. 

Further information may be obtained by ad- 
dressing Samuel F. Hubbard, Superintend- 
ent > 20 Parmenter Street, Boston. 



232 The Printer's Dictionary 

Punch Press — A small machine for punching 
holes in cards, paper, etc., operated by a 
hand lever or treadle. 

Punctuation — The division of sentences and 
parts of sentences in composition by pecu- 
liar marks or points (see p. 233). " Close " 
punctuation is characterized by the use of 
many points, especially the comma, and 
was formerly the common practice. This 
method often meant the insertion of points 
in places where they were not necessary. 
" Open " punctuation is now the more 
common practice, and means the consist- 
ent omission of points in all places where 
they are not required to make the sense 
clear and unmistakable. Modern prac- 
tice omits punctuation marks in book title 
pages and in certain legal papers, as well 
as at the ends of headlines and lines in 
advertising and bold display. A useful 
treatise on this subject, as it relates to the 
compositor, is Mr. Theodore L. DeVinne's 
" Correct Composition," chapter 15. 

Punctuation Marks — Certain marks and signs 
used in such places in language composi- 
tion as to bring out the sense clearly. They 
are guides chiefly for the eye in reading, 
and, although many of them are generally 
used in accordance with well defined rules, 
there are greatly divergent opinions and 
practices in vogue, which make the study 
of their proper use a difficult one for the 



of Technical Terms 233 

young compositor. The modern system of 
punctuation was developed after the inven - 
tion of typography, primarily by Aldus 
Manutius and his family, learned printers 
of Venice, during the sixteenth century. 
Old manuscripts, dating as far back as the 
third century, are written entirely in cap- 
itals, without spacing between the words 
and without marks of punctuation . Later, 
words were separated by spaces and the 
sentences were indicated; then parts of a 
sentence were pointed off by a slanting 
stroke, thus /, called a virgule, which later 
developed into the comma. 
Following is a list of punctuation marks 
in common use, together with other signs 
used to indicate correct pronunciation, etc., 
and to otherwise assist in making compo- 
sition clear and understandable. 



, Comma. 




•• Diaeresis, (a) 


; Semicolon. 




6 Cedilla. (Q) 


: Colon. 




A Caret. 


• Period. 




44 " Quotation marks. 


— Dash. 

Two -em dash. 


< > Braces. 


? Interrogation. 




* * * Ellipsis. 


! Exclamation. 




• . . Ellipsis ; also 


( ) Parentheses. 




leaders. 


[ ] Brackets. 




* Asterisk. 


' Apostrophe. 




t Dagger or obelisk. 


- Hyphen. 




% Double dagger. 


/ Acute accent. 


(e) 


§ Section. 


> Grave accent. 


(a) 


Parallels. 


A Circumflex accent, (e) 


If Paragraph. 


** Circumflex or 


tilde, (n 


1 S^" Index. 


- Long or macron, (a) 


*** or *** Asterism. 


v Short or breve, (e) 





234 The Printer's Dictionary 

Pyramid Heading — A display heading set in 
half-diamond or inverted pyramid form, 
the top line being longest and succeeding 
lines gradually shortened ; used in news- 
paper and similar work. 

QUADS — Cast metal blanks, wider than the 
three-to-em space, used to fill the larger 
white spaces in lines, such as to indent the 
first line and to fill out the last line of a 
paragraph. The orginal term was quadrats 
(that is, a square, or with four equal sides), 
but the shorter term is commonly used 
among printers. Quads are necessary 
parts of every font of type, and are made 
in sizes to accompany all type-bodies. 
There are generally four forms : en, em, 
two-em, and three-em. The en quad is 
half the square of any given size of type- 
body (|) ; it is really a thick space and is 
commonly used as such, being next wider 
than the three-to-em. The em quad is a 
square of the type-body (Q) and is the 
usual blank to put at the commencement of 
paragraphs in ordinary reading matter, 
unless the lines are very long, in which 
case the indention may be two or even 
three ems. For wide blanks t wo-em q uads 
(I"v!) an d three-em quads ( JT^J) are 
provided. Quads are cast high or low, to 
match the spaces of a font of type. See 
High Spaces and Quads ', Low Spaces and 
• Quads, Spaces. 



of Technical Terms 235 

Quad Box — The lowest right hand corner 
apartment in the ordinary lower-case. It 
holds the two-em and three-em quads — 
and when a careless, untidy "slob comp" 
gets at the case for a short time it also 
contains a miscellaneous assortment of 
pi and debris which he is too lazy to put in 
their proper places. Keep the quad box, 
as well as every other box in your case, 
in good order. 

Quadri-color — A name given to a process of 
plate-making for color printing, using a 
plate for each of the three primary colors 
and a fourth plate for black ink ; four-color 
printing. See Three-color Work. 

Quadruple — A sheet of paper, a form, or 
other work four times the size of a smaller 
one, or a smaller form duplicated to make 
four of a kind. 

Quarterly — A publication issued once every 
three months. 

Quarter-sheet Card — Among printers, com- 
monly understood as one quarter of the 
size 22 x 28 inches, which is a standard 
size of many kinds of cardboard. Quarter- 
sheet is a convenient size for window signs, 
small placards, etc. 

Quariertone — A term sometimes applied to 
coarse halftones made on zinc for news- 
paper work ; 65 lines or less to an inch ; 
a newspaper halftone. 



236 The Printer's Dictionary 

Quaternions — Sheets of two leaves, or four 
pages, nested together to form a pamphlet 
or section of a book. 

Quarto — A sheet of paper (approximately 
18x24 inches, or the size known as medi- 
um) folded twice, making four leaves, or 
eight pages. Regular quarto is this size 
folded in cross sections, making the leaf 
12x9 inches ; long quarto is the sheet 
folded twice in the same direction. Other 
quartos are demy quarto (8x10^ inches), 
cap quarto (7x8^ inches), royal quarto 
(91^x12 inches), etc. A size of book in 
which the leaf is quarto. In publishers* no- 
tices quarto is often abbreviated to {to. 
See Folio, also Octavo. 

Quarto or Quarter Medium — A size of press 
(about 10x15 inches) large enough to 
print a quarto page. A half medium press 
is one which will take a half sheet of 
medium paper (18x24 inches), and an 
eighth medium press (about, 7x11 inches) 
one which will print a sheet one eighth of 
medium. These terms are not now so 
common as formerly, as they are not pre- 
cise enough to designate the many varia- 
tions in sizes of machines now made ; the 
more accurate custom is to state the actual 
sizes in inches. 

Quill — A large, strong feather of a goose, 
swan, or other bird, made into a pen for 
writing, before the invention of steel pens ; 
hence, symbol of pen or writing instrument. 



of Technical Terms 237 

Quarto Galley — A galley about 10x16 inches, 
or wide enough to hold quarto pages. 

Query — That is, inquire further, look this 
up ; used as a marginal note in copy or 
on proofs, to call attention to some matter 
in doubt. Sometimes represented by the 
question mark (?) or by Qy., ay., Qu., qu. 
To query is to mark with a query. 

Question Mark [?] — The interrogation point. 
The apprentice should notice that this 
point and the exclamation mark always 
require a thin space to separate them from 
the preceding word, unless the point is cast 
with a shoulder on the side. They should 
also be separated from the following word 
by a thick space or two spaces. Bad? Of 
course it is! Better? Do it right! 

Quire — Twenty -four sheets of paper, or one 
twentieth of a ream of 480 sheets ; if the 
ream consists of 500 sheets, as it often 
does now, the quire is twenty-five sheets. 
Originally, a set of four sheets of parch- 
ment or paper folded so as to make eight 
leaves, the ordinary unit of construction 
for early manuscripts and books. Formerly 
all paper came from the mill folded in 
quires or fractions of a quire, as boxed 
writing paper is now sold by stationers. 
To quire paper is to fold it in quires or parts 
of a quire. A book in separate sheets or 
signatures, not sewed or bound, is said to 
be in quires. See Ream. 



238 The Printer's Dictionary 

Quirewise — A booklet or pamphlet imposed 
so that the folded sheets will nest or fit 
into each other in one section and the 
work may be saddle-stitched ; in distinc- 
tion from single or folded sheets that 
are placed side by side and must be side- 
stitched or sewed. To print on the first 
and third pages of a sheet, so that a num- 
ber of sheets may be folded together and 
stitched through the middle. 

Quoins — Small wedges used for locking up 
forms ; made of hard wood and also of 
iron, in several varieties. The old style 
quoins were small pieces of wood, and 
were driven up with mallet and shooting- 
stick between the chase or strip of furni- 
ture and a beveled stick; the gradual 
driving up of the quoins locked the form 
until it was tight enough to lift. This 
method of locking up has been generally 
superseded by the use of iron quoins and 
other devices which serve the purpose 
with less trouble in shorter time and with 
greater accuracy. Two familar styles of 
these mechanical quoins are known as the 
Hempel (see Hempel Quoin) and the 
Wickersham (see Wickersham Quoin). In 
daily newspaper offices the forms are 
locked up by means of steel beveled 
sticks and screws fitted into the sides of 
the chase ; these may be operated very 
quickly by the use of a wrench. 



of Technical Terms 239 

Quoin Key — The T-shaped piece of iron used 
to operate metal quoins in locking forms. 

Quotation — An expression, a statement, or a 
passage repeated as the utterance of some 
other writer or speaker. It is usually, but 
not always, enclosed in quotation marks. 
(See Quote Marks.) In composing room 
parlance pieces of a kind of hollow metal 
furniture are known as quotations ; more 
exactly Quotation Furniture. See Furniture. 

Quoted Matter — That which is enclosed with 
quote marks. 

Quote Marks, or Quotes [" "] — Brief terms 
for quotation marks, used at the beginning 
and ending of quotations. In English com- 
position these are commonly two turned 
commas at the beginning and two apos- 
trophes at the end. In reading proof, the 
copy holder who reads aloud usually terms 
the first as "commence quote"' or simply 
"quote," and the other as "close quote." 

Rack — A frame-work for holding cases, 
letter boards, etc. 

Rag Paper — Made from linen or cotton rags ; 
the better classes of paper are made from 
linen rags. See Paper. 

Ramage Press — An old-time hand press, first 
made of wood entirely, but later made of 
iron, by Adam Ramage of Philadelphia, 
about the first of the last century; said to 
be the first press made in this country. 



240 The Printer's Dictionary 

Ratchet — A small instrument for turning the 
screws of patent blocks or electro bases. 

Reader — Sometimes applied to the proof 
reader. In this country, the person who 
reads manuscript and other copy sent in for 
publication. Publishing houses now have 
many such literary readers to whom new 
works are submitted for examination be- 
fore printing. An advertisement in the 
form of ordinary reading matter similar 
to the regular text of a newspaper or peri- 
odical is also know as a reader; a brief ad- 
vertisement of this kind is a reading notice. 

Reader's Marks — The proof reader's marks 
on a proof, in distinction from author's 
marks or corrections, making changes 
from original copy. 

Reading for the Press — Proof reading; more 
specifically, reading final proofs before 
printing. 

Ream — There is much confusion in the paper 
and printing industries because of the 
variation in the number of sheets of paper 
which make a ream. At present a ream 
may be from 472 to 516 sheets, accord- 
ing to the class of paper. Heretofore the 
common ream of writing or printing paper 
has contained 480 sheets, but there is a 
growing practice to make it 500 sheets, 
and many kinds of printing paper are now 
measured in this manner. 



of Technical Terms ■ 241 

Recipe Mark — The apothecary or medical 
sign R, used at the beginning of pre- 
scriptions. (Latin recipe, to take.) 

Record Type — The peculiar letters, signs, ac- 
cents, etc., used in reprinting with exact- 
ness old books, records, and documents. 

Recto — The first page of a leaf, or the right 
hand page of a pair, 1,3,5, etc - The other 
side, 2, 4, 6, etc., is verso. 

Re-engrave — To finish an engraved plate, like 
a halftone, by going over it with engraver's 
tools ; an operation requiring great skill. 

Re-etch — In the engraver's work, to give a 
plate, in whole or in part, a second acid 
bath for the purpose of further etching ; 
this is often done by brushing the parts 
with acid with a small hair brush. 

Reference Marks — The signs which come 
with fonts of roman capitals (asterisk * 
dagger f double dagger % section § par- 
allel || paragraph IT ) have been the com- 
mon marks to refer to foot-notes in book 
pages, and they serve the purpose when 
used only occasionally; but when many 
references occur on one page the charac- 
ters are clumsy and objectionable. Supe- 
rior figures 6 and letters a are now more 
often used ; they are neater and permit 
of any number being used without repeti- 
tion or confusion. Superior figures and 
letters are made by type foundries for all 



242 The Printer's Dictionary 

the usual sizes of book-type, but when 
these are not at hand the compositor may 
improvise them by justifying small size 
types into the line. In a ten-point line, 
for instance, a figure and an en-quad of 
six-point, with two six-point three-to-em 
spaces placed sideways below, will justify 
accurately and quickly. 

Register — To adjust the pages of a form so 
that they will print exactly on the back of 
those printed on the first side ; to impose 
a form or to fix the gauges on the press so 
that the pages, when printed back to back 
on the sheet, will strike in the proper 
places. To print two or more colors be- 
side each other, or one over the other, so 
that they will print in their proper places. 

Register Sheets — Special or extra sheets used 
as guides for registering a second or sub- 
sequent form of a work. When a sheet is 
to be printed with more than one form, 
as for colors, or to be backed up sheet- 
wise, there should always be some extra 
sheets printed on the first form, to be used 
in registering the other forms. 

Reglet — Thin strips of wood similar to leads, 
only larger ; they are used in posters and 
other large work where metal would be 
cumbersome. 

Reiteration — The printing on the back of a 
sheet already printed ; printing the second 
side. A term now rarely used. 



of Technical Terms 243 

Relief Printing — That done from raised sur- 
faces, like type, wood cuts, zinc and half- 
tone plates ; in distinction from intaglio 
work, such as copper and steel plates, or 
from lithography, which is chemical print- 
ing from flat surfaces. 

Religious Signs — The cross f an d maltese 
cross >i* ; versicle "^ ; response R? ; and 
other signs used in prayer books, church 
rituals, etc. 

Reporter — One who gathers news and writes 
for a newspaper. 

Reprint — Copy for a book or other work 
which has already been printed, in dis- 
tinction from written manuscript. A sec- 
ond or new printing of a work. Reprint 
copy is, naturally, easier to handle than 
manuscript, on account of its legibility. A 
reprint of a work may be done in different 
type and style than the original ; when an 
exact reprint is meant it is fac simile. 

Retouch — To go over, with brush or pen, a 
drawing, photograph, or other copy which 
is to be engraved, and touch up important 
details or tone down unimportant or use- 
less parts ; to prepare imperfect copy for 
making a good engraving. 

Revise — A proof taken after corrections have 
been made ; to compare a proof so taken 
with the one on which errors are marked, 
to see if corrections are properly made. 
See Proof, 



244 The Printer's Dictionary 

Ring-mark — Changes from original copy are 
marked on proofs by drawing a circle 
around them; these changes may be made 
by the proof reader or author, and are not 
chargeable to the compositor. If the com- 
positor is on piece-work, he is paid extra 
for ring-mark corrections. A circle or ring 
drawn around an abbreviation, sign, etc., 
in copy is a direction that the word should 
be spelled in full. 

Rise^-K form is said to rise when it may be 
lifted from the imposing stone without 
letters dropping out. A form locked too 
tightly, or imperfectly justified, in which 
quads, leads, furniture, etc, work up to the 
the level of the type and show on the sheet, 
is also said to rise, or work up. 

Roller — A metal rod covered with an elastic 
composition, used to spread ink over the 
type or other printing surface. The early 
method of spreading ink on the form was 
w T ith balls, which were small round cush- 
ions, covered with soft leather and stuffed 
with wool. These had handles and were 
used in pairs ; a dab of ink was placed on 
one, and by beating them together it was 
spread on their surfaces, and afterward 
dabbed on the printing form. The inven- 
tion of inking rollers was contemporaneous 
with that of the cylinder press (1814). 
The first rollers were covered with buck- 
skin or a similiar leather, but were not sue- 



of Technical Terms 245 

cessful ; afterward a composition of glue 
and molasses was used. This composition 
was first employed in the potteries of 
Staffordshire, England, to put designs on 
dishes with irregular surfaces. An elastic 
material, which easily took up ink and as 
readily deposited it again, was peculiarly 
adapted to the printer's use. The early 
rollers of this modern style were made of 
glue and molasses only, a mixture which 
possessed the peculiar tackiness that was 
required; but they were expensive, be- 
cause they were short-lived — a few weeks 
at the most, under favorable weather con- 
ditions. Then glycerin was added to the 
composition, and the quality of durability 
was given to the roller. Glue-and-molasses 
rollers dried and shrunk rapidly and a dry, 
glassy skin formed on the surface in a few 
days; this tendency was overcome by 
using glycerin. The peculiar qualities of 
glycerin are that it does not evaporate 
and does not freeze at any temperature, 
and consequently heat and cold have little 
effect upon its consistency, so that rollers 
in which it is used are less affected by varia- 
tions in the temperature; glycerin also has 
a strong attraction for moisture and will 
increase in weight if exposed to damp air. 
It is this last quality of glycerin that is the 
cause of most of the pressroom troubles 
with rollers, especially in warm, damp 
weather, as it is then the rollers become 



246 The Printer's Dictionary 

"green," or soft and watery, so that they 
will not take up the ink from the distribut- 
ing surface and carry it to the depositing 
surface. Rollers are now made by many 
different formulas. Their manufacture has 
become a specialized branch of the print- 
ing industry, and each maker produces 
them according to formulas that are the 
result of much experiment with new sub- 
stances and methods, so that the exact 
composition of a modern roller is a good 
deal of a trade secret. 
In brief, a roller is made by first having 
a metal rod, or core, placed in the center 
of a cylindrical mould, the inside of 
which is polished and oiled. In order 
that the composition may hold firmly 
on the core, the rod is painted and wound 
with strong twine ; in the case of large 
rollers for cylinder presses, the iron rod 
is covered with a wooden sheath to enlarge 
its size, and this is then wound with a 
cord. The core being placed in the mould 
and held by end-pieces to keep it in the 
exact center, both are then slightly warmed 
and the melted composition poured in, 
and the whole allowed to cool. The warm- 
ing of the mould is important, as, if it were 
cold, the hot composition will suddenly 
chill against the cold iron and leave streaks 
in the face of the roller. The old hand- 
method was to cast rollers one at a time, 
and to pour the composition in at the top. 



of Technical Terms 247 

This method is still in employed in a 
limited way, but the modern roller maker, 
who casts them in wholesale quantities, 
has his moulds arranged in groups, in a 
large steel barrel, called the "gatling" 
method. He also avoids air bubbles and 
other imperfections by pumping the com- 
position into the bottom of the mould 
until it is filled to the top. 
After a roller is made it is not ready for 
use until it is seasoned; this is to expose it 
to the air long enough to give it a certain 
toughness to withstand the pull and strain 
it will undergo in operation on the press. 
Upon the care and good judgment in 
seasoning a roller will depend its working 
qualities and its life, and only experience, 
coupled with close observation, will teach 
a person how to properly season a roller. 
The time required to season a new roller 
may be from one day to two weeks ; it 
depends on the weather or the condition 
of the atmosphere around the roller. Sea- 
soning will occur quicker in dry weather 
than damp weather, and quicker in winter 
than in summer. The degree of seasoning 
required often depends on the kind of 
work for which the roller is used; stiff 
inks will need tougher rollers than may be 
used for soft inks; slow presses may safely 
have softer rollers than those running at 
high speed. After rollers are properly sea- 
soned, the seasoning should not be pro- 



248 The Printer's Dictionary 

longed ; it is then well to put them into use, 
and if not in use to cover them with soft 
ink or ink mixed with oil, and to keep them 
covered this way as much as possible, 
especially if they stay in a warm room. 
This seasoning and preserving of ink- 
ing rollers is one of the most important 
problems of the pressroom. Neglect to 
care for them promptly may mean speedy 
ruin of the best rollers. Ink should not be 
left to dry hard on them, especially if they 
are new, or nearly so; to clean oft ink in 
this condition will injure the face, either 
by roughening it with the hard rubbing 
required, or because of the strong washing 
fluid needed to loosen the ink. A good 
practice is to let soft, slow-drying ink stay 
on the rollers over night ; or if the ink is 
stiff and will probably dry hard before the 
rollers are used again, to pour some com- 
mon machine oil on them and run the press 
for a few revolutions, then let this ink and 
oil stay on .till the rollers are used again. 
When quick-drying or colored ink is used, 
common oil may not prevent it from dry- 
ing hard, especially over Sunday ; in this 
case, it is better to wash the ink off clean 
and then cover the rollers' with oil, or set 
them in a box or closet where they will 
keep cool and slightly moist. A shallow 
pan of water in the bottom of a roller box 
is often used to preserve extra rollers that 
are not in regular service. 



of Technical Terms 249 

A good time to wash rollers is just before 
they are to be used or before putting fresh 
ink on. Cleaning should be done care- 
fully and thoroughly each time, and no 
specks of old ink allowed to remain to ad- 
here just because they do not come off as 
readily as the softer ink. Specks left after 
careless washing, and allowed to remain 
for a day or two under fresh ink, will soon 
adhere so strongly to the composition that 
they cannot be cleaned off without taking 
a spot out of the surface of the roller, and 
so ruin it. Rollers that are used for col- 
ored inks require especial care to keep 
their surfaces from cuts, cracks, and pin- 
holes, because in these places old ink will 
lodge and cannot be thoroughly cleaned 
out, but will remain to work out later into 
the next color that is used. For light colors 
and tints of ink, rollers with perfect sur- 
faces are imperative. 

Roller Composition — The substance of which 
printers' rollers are made ; glue, sugar, 
glycerin, etc., melted together ; when cool 
it makes a stiff, jelly-like mass. 

Roller Mould — A long metal tube, used for 
casting rollers ; of steel or brass tubing. 

Roller Stock — The core of a roller, on which 

the composition is cast. 
Rolling Up — To spread ink on a form or 

engraving, especially with a hand roller, as 

for a proof, etc. 



250 The Printer's Dictionary 

Ready Print — See Patent Outside. 

Register Rack — The heavy metal strip on the 
side of the bed of a cylinder press, having 
teeth geared to fit the cog-wheel on the end 
of the cylinder ; it serves to keep the mo- 
tion of the bed and cylinder in unison, or 
in register. 

Register Hooks — Small clamps or catches in- 
serted in the modern steel bases upon 
which electros are mounted for printing. 
The hooks hold the bevelled edges of the 
plate. The hooks are moved back and 
forth very precisely by means of screws, 
and the plate can thus be quickly regis- 
tered into the exact position desired. 

Removable Tympan — A recent invention. It 
consists of a steel frame which fits snugly 
on the sides of the platen of a job press. 
This frame holds the top-sheet and other 
make-ready sheets which lay on the iron 
platen, and it can be taken off or replaced 
intact, in exact position. Its advantage is 
that, by having two or more of the frames 
for a press, much idle time of the press 
may be saved. By putting the form on the 
press and taking an impression on this 
tympan, both form and tympan are then 
taken off for finishing the make-ready ; 
if it is necessary to lift off a job before the 
run is finished, the form and tympan, with 
its make-ready, are removed, and another 
form with another tympan put in place, 



of Technical Terms 251 

and on its completion the first form and its 
tympan replaced in a short time. In an 
office with limited press facilities and on 
rush work of ordinary grades, the theory 
of a removable tympan seems of unques- 
tioned advantage. 

Rolling Press — The style of press used for 
copperplate and steelplate printing; the 
plate is rolled under a O-shaped surface 
to make the impression. Sometimes called 
a D-roller press. 

Roller Carriage — The framework or appara- 
tus on job presses, with hooks, springs, 
etc., which carry the form rollers back and 
forth over the form. 

Roller Wheels — The small collars on the 
ends of form rollers on job presses, etc. 

Roma?i Notation — The use of letters, instead 
of the ordinary Arabic figures, to express 
numbers, as I, II, III, IV, V, etc. The let- 
ters used are I (representing one),V (five), 
X (ten), L (fifty), C (one hundred), D (five 
hundred), M (one thousand). Units of a 
higher order stand on the left of one of the 
lower order ; when a letter of lower order 
stands before one of a higher order, its 
value is subtracted ; thus, IV reads four, 
IX nine, XL forty, XC ninety. This system 
of notation should be clearly understood 
by every compositor, as its use is common 
in many kinds of work. 



252 The Printer's Dictionary 

Roman Type — The common form of letter 
face, such as is used for the text of this 
book ; it is the kind of letter preferred for 
books and newspapers by English-speak- 
ing people and by the Latin races. Roman 
letter is distinguished from italic, with 
which it is often mated : from Greek, with 
which it has many characters in common ; 
and from black letter or Old English, as 
well as from script or handwriting, etc. 
The hrst printing from type was not done 
with the Roman letters, but from what is 
known as black letter, an imitation of the 
hand work of the manuscript makers and 
scribes at the time of the invention of type. 
Roman letters were evolved later : the cap- 
itals being copied from old Latin lapidary 
letters, or those cut in stone, and the small 
letters (lower-case) first made in type about 
1465. near Rome in Italy. These early let- 
ters were later greatly improved in sym- 
metry and used as a body letter for books 
by Nicholas Jenson at Venice, about 1472. 
and since then the forms of Roman types 
have been based, with numerous variations 
and modifications, upon these early char- 
acters. See Majuscule, Modern Roman, 
Oldstyk. 

Root Sign — The radical sign V used in math- 
ematical work. See Mathematical Signs. 
The same sign is often used typographic- 
ally as a check-mark to verify- or call atten- 
tion to certain items in a list. 



of Technical Terms 253 

Rosette — An ornament or form having some 
resemblance to a rose, from the center of 
which several petal-like parts radiate. 

Rotary Press — That type of machine which 
has the printing surface, as well the im- 
pression surface, on a cylinder, the two 
cylinders moving in unison while the sheet 
of paper passes between them to receive 
the impression. 

Rounce — The handle which moves in and 
out the bed of the old style hand press. 

Roughing — Treating smooth finished paper, 
either before or after printing, to a process 
which roughens the surface or destroys the 
shiny glaze. See Pebble Fifiish. 

Rough Proof — A hurried proof, taken with- 
out special care, as with a planer, or on 
galley press, hand press, etc. 

Routing — To cut out deeper the blank places 
in a printing plate, with a routing machine 
or tool. 

Royal — A size of flat writing paper 18x24 
inches. 

Riding Roller, Riding Changer, or Rider — An 
extra roller attached to a press in such a 
manner that it rests upon and revolves 
with a form roller. It is usually of steel 
and has a slight vibrating or zig-zag mo- 
tion endways. Its purpose is to give addi- 
tional ink distribution on the form. 



254 The Printer's Dictionary 

Rubber Offset Press — The offset press is a 
modern development of a method of print- 
ing that has been known for some time. 
Although the theory of the method is very 
simple, its commercial application has but 
recently been developed, chiefly because 
of the difficulty attendant upon obtaining 
a practicable method of preparing the off- 
set surface. The original drawing is trans- 
ferred lithographically to a thin aluminum 
or zinc plate which is attached to the sur- 
face of the cylinder A. The ink impres- 
sion on this plate is offset at each revol- 
ution on to a hard rubber blanket attached 
to cylinder B. As the sheet of paper is 




THEORY OF THE OFFSET PRESS 

fed around cylinder C the ink impression 
is again offset from the rubber blanket to 
the paper sheet. It will be seen that the 
paper itself never touches the metal plate ; 
in this way there is less liability, when 
printing halftones, of the plate filling up. 

Rubber Type— Cast with a vulcanized rubber 
face mounted on metal body. This kind 
of type is not used in ordinary typographic 
printing, but belongs to the rubber stamp 
class of work. Rubber-face type is much 






of Technical Terms 255 

shorter than ordinary metal type, usually 
about one-half inch high, and when set in a 
small pallet is used for stamping by hand. 
Rubber Stamps — Used for stamping by hand, 
for a great variety of purposes. These are 
moulded in vulcanized india rubber and 
mounted for use in many ways. In making 
rubber stamps, the copy is first set in 
metal type and a form prepared as for 
stereotype moulding; an impression is 
then made in a plastic substance, and on 
this mould a piece of sheet rubber is 
placed and both are then subjected to 
heavy pressure and strong heat (300 de- 
grees or thereabouts) until the rubber has 
formed in shape in the mould. When 
cool, the rubber and mould are separated, 
and the moulded rubber mounted on han- 
dles or otherwise for use. 

Rubric — That exceptional part of a book or 
manuscript which appears in red ink — a 
line, word, or initial. Originally one of the 
directions or rules printed in devotional 
or liturgical books directing the place or 
mode of observance, as in a prayer book, 
missal, breviary. To mark, distinguish, or 
illuminate with red. (From Latin rubrica, 
a red earth, or chalk, from which the color 
was originally made.) 

Rubricator — One who puts in red or otherwise 
colors initial letters and other embellish- 
ments in books, manuscripts, etc. 



256 The Printer's Dictionary 

Rubricated — Having lines or spots of red. 

Ruby — The name in England for the size of 
type called agate in America. 

Rule — Thin strips (of brass, usually) type- 
high and varying in thickness from 1 -point 
to 24-point, for printing straight lines, etc. 

See Brass Rule. Hair-line rule , 

a rule 1 -point or thicker, with a fine-line 

face ; dotted line ; parallel rule 

:, two lines of equal thickness 
made on one body ; double rule , 

two lines of unequal thickness on one 
body. Rule faces are made in a great 
variety of designs. 

Rule Cutter — A small hand machine, used 
in composing rooms, for cutting brass rule, 
etc. The common style is a combination 
rule-and-lead cutter. See Lead Cutter, 

Rule Work — Type composition in which 
brass rules are largely used, such as col- 
umn matter, statistical tables, etc. Work 
of this kind, especially if set in small type 
in large forms, calls for great skill and care 
in justifying, in order that the form may 
lock up square and solid. 

Ruling Machine — For ruling blank paper, 
such as account books, statements, bill- 
heads, etc. This machine is not usually 
part of a printing office equipment, but 
belongs to a blank-book bindery or paper 
house. Paper ruling is a specialized trade. 



of Technical Terms 257 

Ruled Paper — Blank books, writing paper, 
office blanks, etc., ruled with horizontal or 
with both horizontal and perpendicular 
lines as guides for writing, or for division 
into columns, etc. This ruling is done on 
special machines in which the flat sheets 
are carried along a framework by means 
of tapes or threads ; as the sheets move 
under a set of pens arranged in the re- 
quired positions the paper receives the 
ruling. Many kinds of ruled paper, like 
statements, billheads, account books, are 
made in more or less uniform styles, and 
are kept in stock by paper dealers and 
stationers, while an immense quantity of 
specially ruled paper is constantly being 
made for printers who make a specialty of 
stationery and blank-book work. The fol- 
lowing are some standard sizes that are 
commonly kept in stock by paper houses : 

Letterheads 8%Xn = V± of 17X22 folio 

Packet note .6X9/^ = % of 19X24 medium 

( 6's wide 8^X4^ =% of 14X17 

Billheads M' s " SlAX7 = % of 14X17 

J51imeaas ) 3 's " 8^X9/3 =% of 17X28 

c 2's " 8^X14 =y 2 ofi4Xi7 

( 5^X8^ =y 8 of 17X22 

Statements < 5^X11 =M? of 17X22 

(5^X5^ = 1/12 of 17X22 

Runs on Sorts — When copy calls for more 
than the usual number of any particular 
characters in the font. See Sorts. 



258 The Printer's Dictionary 

Ruggles Press — A series of presses in various 
sizes and patterns, designed by S. P. Rug- 
gles of Boston during the middle of the last 
century. He was one of the most successful 
inventors of job presses, but his machines 
have long been superseded. He made the 
first American card press about 1836. 

Run- rounds — Type matter justified to fit 
close around small engravings, special 
designs, and similar places. 

Run I?i — In composing and proof reading, 
to put phrases or sentences into one par- 
agraph ; usually indicatedj 
fin this manner ; to set matter • without 
paragraphing. Run on, to continue mat- 
ter in one paragraph. 

Runners — Figures or letters placed down the 
side of a page to make ready reference to 
any particular line, as in school editions of 
classics, law briefs, etc. 

Running Head, or Title — The title of the book 
or subject placed at the top of each page. 

Run Out and Indent — To begin the first line 
of a paragraph flush and indent succeed- 
ing lines ; to make hanging indention. 

Saddle-stitch— To bind a pamphlet by 

sewing or wiring it through the middle, 
when the sheets are folded into each other 
quirewise. When the folded sheets or sec- 
tions of a pamphlet are placed side by side, 
they are side-stitched. 



of Technical Terms 259 

Safety Paper — Used for checks, coupons, and 
similar purposes. Safety paper is made in 
various ways ; that used by government de- 
partments for currency, stamps, etc., being 
manufactured by special processes. For 
many minor purposes it is made by print- 
ing a very light tint over the entire surface. 
The tint block may be a grained or lined 
surface, or it may have some distinctive 
design or lettering in repetition, so as to 
form a background for subsequent print- 
ing or writing. The purpose is to make a 
surface upon which erasures or changes 
cannot be made without detection. 

Sans Serif— The style of type face in America 
called gothic is in England called sans 
serif (that is, without serif). It is distin- 
guished by the absence of serifs or ticks 
on the ends of strokes and by its uniform 
thickness of line. See Gothic. 

Savings Galley — A galley for holding type 
which has been once used, but which is 
saved for use again, in whole or in part. 
It may be a regular galley kept in conven- 
ient place, or a special small wooden gal- 
ley to be placed on the cap. case. 

Scale — A schedule of prices establishing 
charges for certain kinds of work, such as 
wages, composition by hand or machine, 
press work, engraving, electrotyping, etc. 
A scale usually fixes minimum charges, 
and differing prices are often based on 
quantity, quality, time of payment, etc. 



260 The Printer's Dictionary 

Scale-boards — Dampened strips of spongy 
cardboard put between ends of lines and 
side-sticks, to tighten lines imperfectly 
justified. Originally scale-boards were 
thin strips of sheet iron and were used 
for leading lines of type ; later they were 
used between the type pages and the chase 
for securing register, etc. The term and 
the material are not now in use, as accu- 
rately made furniture, reglets, and slugs, 
with more careful workmanship, make 
scale-boards unnecessary except in very 
botchy composition. Another form of the 
word was scabbard. 

Scare Head — An extra large, sensational 
head-line, as in a newspaper. 

Scissors, Shears — " In trade usage, all such 
instruments less than six inches in length 
are termed scissors, while all exceeding 
that length are shears." 

Score — To crease cards or thick paper slight- 
ly, so that they can be folded exactly at cer- 
tain points. This may be done by locking 
up the scoring rules in the required posi- 
tion in a job press chase, then taking off 
the ink rollers, setting gauges and feeding 
the sheets through in the same manner as 
for printing. Set Perforating Rule. Scoring 
is also done on a special machine, which 
has a small wheel revolving slightly above 
an iron shelf or table ; between this wheel 
and table the sheets pass, receiving a slight 
mark at the place where the fold is desired. 






of Technical Terms 261 

Scoring Rule— Brass or steel rules for creas- 
ing folders, covers, etc., on a job press. 

Scotch Roman — A style of type face intro- 
duced a few years ago by a firm of Scotch 
type founders. It is a modern roman with 
slightly thickened strokes and rounded 
serifs, giving a general effect like old-style. 
It should not be confused with Scotch-cut 
modern roman, which is a much older face 
based on a French style of roman known 
as Bodoni. Scotch roman is made in this 
country by the American Type Founders 
Co. under the name of "Wayside" series. 

Scotch Roman (Wayside) 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST 

abcdefghij klmnopqrstuvwxyz 
1234567890 

Scotch-cut Modern Roman 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTU 

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 
1234567890 

Scratch Comma — An old name for the sign / 
commonly used to separate shillings and 
pence (English money), between fractions, 
and in similar places, % %. 

Scratched Figures — Another name for can- 
celled figures, such as are used in arith- 
metic work, etc., 0. 

Screamer — An exclamation-point put at the 
end of a large head-line. 



262 The Printer's Dictionary 

Screw Chase — This style of chase is chiefly 
used in newspaper work. Instead of lock- 
up with quoins, screw bolts are fitted into 
two sides of the chase and the bolts oper- 
ated by a wrench. See Chase. 

Screw Press — A machine for imparting pres- 
sure by turning a large screw or screws. 
The early hand press was of this style. 

Screw Quoin — A small iron quoin whose side 
pieces spread or contract by means of a 
screw bolt which is operated by a small 
wrench. Not much used, except in ama- 
teur printing outfits. 

Screw Stick — A compositor's stick in which 
the knee is held to the back plate by means 
of a screw. In the old-style screw stick a 
short screw, requiring a screw-driver to 
operate, goes through the back plate and 
into the knee. The common job stick, in 
which the knee is held in place by a thumb- 
screw, is called the Yankee stick. See 
Composing Stick. 

Script— A general name for that class of types 
designed to imitate handwriting. Script 
type is expensive to make ; its long kerned 
faces, with delicate hair lines, renders it 
fragile. Its use is now very limited except 
on fine card and society work. Many print- 
ing houses do not have script type, but 
turn over work of this kind to the copper- 
plate engraver, or make a relief plate by 
photographing a pen drawing. 



of Technical Terms 263 

Second Mark — The double tick "used to in- 
dicate geographical and chronological sec- 
onds, etc. See Minute Mark, 

Section — A sheet of book pages folded ready 
for sewing ; it is usually identical with sig- 
nature ; but often two or more signatures, 
set one into the other, make a section. 

Sectional Block — For mounting electrotypes 
or other printing plates. It consists of a 
number of small, hollow steel and brass 
sections made on a unit system of sizes. A 
number of these sections may be combined 
to form any size page desired, or to fill an 
entire chase. The brass sections are fitted 
with small hooks or catches operated later- 
ally by screws. When the electro, with bev- 
eled edges, is placed on the block, the 
hooks are put into position and, by means 
of a hand ratchet, are screwed up to hold 
the plate firmly. See Patent Block. 

Sectional Type — A style of type in which each 
letter was made in two parts, the upper 
half being separate from the lower part. 
By setting lines of smaller type between 
the upper and lower parts, the effect pro- 
duced is of a narrow panel lying across a 
line of large type. A typographic arrange- 
ment now rare. 

Section Mark — The old-style reference sign 
§, usually kept in one of the top boxes of 
the cap. case. See Reference Marks. 



264 The Printer's Dictionary 

Semicolon [;] — See Punctuation Marks, 

Separatrix — The diagonal stroke used, in 
correcting proofs, to call attention to the 
mark in the margin, and to separate the 
marks when there are several corrections 
in the same line, etc. Also, a dot placed 
before a decimal fraction, to separate it 
from the whole number to which it be- 
longs ; the decimal point. 

Series — When a style of type is made in two 
or more uniformly graded sizes it is said 
to be a series of that face. Most popular 
type faces are now made in series, ranging 
in sizes from 6-point up to 72-point, and 
even larger. See Sizes of Type, 

Serif— The short cross-line or tick at the ends 
of the stroke in roman letters. See Type, 

Set — To pick up types and arrange them in 
form for printing. Also, the width of a type 
is its set ; the size of a type is its depth up 
and down, its body-size. Thus, a 10-point 
en-quad is 10-point body and 5-point set. 

Set Close — To thin space and omit leads. Set 
open, to wide space and open out well with 
leads or slugs. 

Set-off— See Off-set 

Set Out — When any letter in a case has been 
exhausted so that no more of the copy can 
be composed, it is set out, even if many 
boxes still have type. See Empty Case. 






of Technical Terms 265 

Set Solid — To set lines of type close together, 
without leads or other material. 

Setting Rule — A composing rule. 

Setting the Stick — Adjusting the knee of a 
composing stick to the required measure. 
To set a stick accurately, use 12-point (or 
pica) lower-case letter m's, of any conven- 
ient font, putting the letters in sideways 
in this manner : 

ssssssasasssass 

Adjust the knee so that the line will stand 
without falling, but not so tight that it 
cannot be readily lifted out. If the stick 
has a thumb-screw clamp to hold the knee, 
try the screw occasionally to see that it 
does not work loose after a number of lines 
have been justified, thus making the last 
line longer than the first. 

Shank — The metal body upon which the let- 
ter is cast. 

Shaved Leads — Those that are made by a 
method of drawing through a mould which 
shaves them to exact and uniform thick- 
ness the entire length ; in distinction from 
leads made by the old method of casting 
in common moulds, which is a slower oper- 
ation and produced leads which were more 
or less imperfect. 

Sheet the Roller — To turn a roller over a sheet 
of paper (it should be hard, or sized) for 
the purpose of taking off surplus ink. 



266 The Printer's Dictionary 

Sheetwise — The pages of a sheet imposed in 
two forms, the forms being printed sepa- 
rately, one on each side of the sheet. See 
Half Sheet, Work-and-turn. 

Shilling Mark — The short diagonal stroke 
frequently placed after a number express- 
ing shillings in English money. It is used 
thus, 6/, signifying 6 shillings ; or placed 
between two numbers, 6/4, signifying 
6 shillings and 4 pence, or 6s. \d. 

Shoe — One or more sheets of strong paper, 
upon which a page of type is laid when 
it is desired to be put aside. Pieces of stiff 
cardboard, cut a little larger than the type 
page, are sometimes used for shoes. Old 
shoe is the term sometimes applied to the 
hell-box, or receptacle for broken type, etc. 

Shoqfly — On a cylinder press, the frame of 
short steel fingers between the grippers in 
front of the feed-board ; it supports the 
sheet as it is drawn around by the grippers, 
and when the sheet comes around, after 
printing, rises slightly to run the sheet on 
to the front delivery fly. 

Shooting-stick — An implement used to drive 
up wooden quoins in locking forms. Iron 
quoins are made to tighten the form with 
a wrench or key, without the use of a 
shooting-stick and mallet. See Quoins. 

Short Accent — The upturned curve over the 
vowels, a, e, 6, etc. 






of Technical Terms 267 

Short And — The sign & ; sometimes called 
the round and ; formerly called ampersand. 

Short Count — When the number of copies of 
a piece of work, or the sheets of paper, are 
not sufficient to make the quantity wanted. 

Short Cross — The short bar of a large chase ; 
the bar dividing a chase lengthwise is the 
long cross. 

Short Page —When the type matter does not 
fill it to the same length as its mates, and 
it has to be filled out with blank material. 

Short Take — When copy is divided among 
several compositors, each has only a few 
lines to set, or a short take. See Take. 

Short Twelves — A plan of imposing a sheet 
of 1 2 mo, in which the pages are laid down 
in three rows of four. See Long Twelves. 

Shoulder — The top of the type body not cov- 
ered by the letter. More specifically, the 
space above and below the letter is the 
shoulder ; at the side the space is called 
side-bearing. 

Shoulder-notes — Side-notes on book pages, 
when they are at the top of the page, are 
sometimes called shoulder-notes. 

Show Bill — A large sheet or poster, printed 
with bright colors, pictures, etc., to post 
on billboards. Show card, a large placard 
to post in public view. 



: 



268 The Printer's Dictionary 

Side-bearing — The shoulder on the side of a 
letter or other character ; it gives the space 
between the letters of a word. Also, on 
cylinder and job presses, the type-high 
ledge on each side of the bed ; on the for- 
mer the side-bearings support and steady 
the cylinder during the impression, and on 
the latter, they support the roller-ends 
while inking the form. 

Side-head — In book work, a side-head is usu- 
ally set in the first line of the paragraph. 
In catalogues, advertising, etc., side-heads 
are often put in lines by themselves, either 
at the side of the matter to which they 
refer, or at the commencement of a line 
immediately above. 

Side-note — In book and pamphlet work, side- 
notes are in the margin outside of the type 
page, and are usually set in narrow meas- 
ure in type several sizes smaller than the 
text of the page. 

Side Sorts — The infrequently used charac- 
ters of a font, such as j, q, x, etc., kept in 
the small boxes at the side of the case. 

Side Sticks, Foot Sticks — Strips of wood or 
metal furniture placed at the side and foot 
of a page in a chase ; against these the 
quoins are placed for locking up. When 
old style wooden quoins are used, the side 
sticks are narrow at one end and wide at 
the other, to form a wedge into which the 
quoins are driven with a shooting-stick. 



of Technical Terms 269 

Side-stitch — To bind a pamphlet by wiring or 
sewing the sheets together sideways. See 
Saddle-stitch. 

Signature — In book work, a letter or figure 
at the bottom of the first page of a form, 
to direct the binder in putting the printed 
sheets in order in the volume. Signatures 
guide the binder in folding, insetting, and 
collating the sheets. They are also of use 
to the compositor and pressman in identi- 
fying the forms and arranging them in 
proper position on the press. The text usu- 
ally commences with signature b or 2, a 
or 1 being reserved for the preliminary 
sheet, where, however, it is not inserted. 
The general rule in this country is to use 
common figures for numbering, although 
the older practice was to use letters in 
alphabetical order. This marking of signa- 
tures on the first page has 
been largely superseded by 
another method. This is 
to place a mark in the gut- 
ter margin between the 
first and last pages of the 
sheet. As these two pages 
are side by side, any mark 
would show on the back of the folded sig- 
nature. The first signature has the mark 
well toward the top, the next signature has 
it a little further down, and the others still 
further down at regular intervals. When 
the signatures for a complete book are 



Modern 
method 
of marking 
signatures, 
showing the 
marks on 
back of 
signatures 
when 

folded and 
gathered. 



270 The Printer's Dictionary 

gathered, the back will show a series of 
these marks in regular order, as illustrated 
on the preceding page. A missing signa- 
ture will be noted by the absence of its 
mark in the sequence, and a transposition 
or doubling of signatures will show an ir- 
regularity in the sequence of marks. 

Signature Cut — An engraved fac-simile of 
an autograph, used for printing a person's 
name. 

Signature Line — The line of quads at the 
bottom of the first page of a signature, in 
which the number or letter is placed. See 
Foot-line. 

Signature Page — The first page of a folded 
sheet or signature. A large form of small 
pages often contains two or more signa- 
tures, which are to be cut apart after print- 
ing; in this case the first page of each part, 
having the signature letter or number, is 
termed the signature page. 

Signature Press — Used in book binderies, 
for pressing together with great force the 
folded signatures, in order to make the 
leaves flat and the book as compact and 
solid as possible. 

Sign — A mark used as an abbreviation for 
a known meaning; a figure, letter, or other 
character used technically, instead of the 
word, according to prescribed usage. See 
Commercial Signs, Mathematical Signs, Re- 
ligious Signs, Proof Reader's Marks, etc. 



of Technical Terms 271 

S. 6* S. C. — Referring to paper, means 
sized and supercalendered. S. 6* C, sized 
and calendered. 

Silhouette — A portrait, profile, or outline of 
any object represented in black. 

Silver Bronze — A fine white metallic powder 
dusted on an impression made with white 
size, for silver printing. See Bronzing. 

Simplex Type-Setter — A machine for setting 
and distributing type, the composing being 
done by operating a keyboard similar to 
a typewriter. The machine consists of an 
upright cylinder, having vertical grooves 
on its surface the entire length. The type 
used is regular foundry-cast, but each char- 
acter of the font is nicked different from 
all other characters and fits a particular 
groove in the upright cylinder. This cyl- 
inder is in two sections, the lower part be- 
ing stationary, while the upper part, which 
is the distributing mechanism, revolves in- 
termittingly. In the grooves of this upper 
part are inserted lines of dead matter in a 
vertical position. The width of the grooves 
is made to coincide with the size of type 
used, and they are a little less in depth 
than the height of type. The type rests on 
its side, the face projecting slightly be- 
yond the cylinder. As the upper cylinder 
moves around step by step it presents the 
bottom type in each line over a groove in 
the lower stationary cylinder; the type, 






272 The Printer's Dictionary 

however, will drop only into the groove 
which has its shape or " teeth " arranged 
to match the nicks of the type assigned to 
it. In this way each letter is delivered to 
its special groove. The composing is done 
by releasing the types in required order at 
the bottom of the grooves. This is con- 
trolled by the keyboard, and as each type 
drops it is carried on a swiftly revolving 
disk around to a narrow channel in front 
of the operator. This line is continuous, 
and as it advances to the end of the chan- 
nel it is divided by hand into short lines 
and justified in a stationary " stick" in the 
same manner as ordinary hand composi- 
tion. This machine was originally known 
as the Thorne type-setting machine, in- 
vented by Joseph Thorne and patented in 
1 880. It is the most successful type-setting 
machine yet made, and there are many of 
them in use throughout the country. 

Sinkage of the Chapter Head — To put a blank 
space, like a line of quotation furniture, at 
the top of the first page of a chapter. 

Six-to-Pica — Said of leads, brass rule, etc., 
before the adoption of the point system. 
The thickness of leads and rules was in- 
dicated by the proportion their size bore 
to the pica : six-to-pica is approximately 
two-point ; twelve-to-pica, one-point. 

Sixteen-mo — A sheet folded to make sixteen 
leaves; i6mo or 16's. See Octavo. 



of Technical Terms 273 

Size — A glutinous preparation, made of ani- 
mal or vegetable fats, used to give stiffness 
to paper and to prevent writing ink from 
spreading on it. Size may be mixed in the 
pulp in the vat, or the paper may be coated 
by passing through a bath of size, when 
it is said to be tub-sized. Writing papers 
are fully sized ; printing papers are lightly 
sized or devoid of all size. Also, a sticky, 
varnish-like substance, used as a printing 
ink when the sheets are to be bronzed. 
Size of this kind is often colored to corre- 
spond to the color of the metallic powder 
to be used, as white size for silver powder, 
yellow size for gold powder, etc. 

Sizes of Envelopes — A few standard sizes of 
envelopes are here listed : 



Commercial . . . No. 


4 — 


size 


' 2 Vs X 5 X 4 inches 


No. 


5 — 


it 


3Vi6 X 5 x/ 2 inches 


No. 


6 — 


CI 


3%X6 inches 


No. 


6%- 


M 


3V2X6 inches 


No. 


6%- 


II 


3% X 6y 2 inches 


No. 


7 — 


II 


3%X6% inches 


No. 


9 — 


M 


3% X87/ 8 inches 


No. 


10 — 


II 


4%X9% inches 


No. 


11 — 


II 


4^X10% inches 


No. 


12 — 


M 


4% X 1 1 inches 


No. 


14 — 


(( 


5X11% inches 


Baronial No. 


4 — 


II 


3% X 4*% 6 inches 


No. 


5 — 


II 


4V8X5y 8 inches 


No. 


5V2- 


II 


4%X5% inches 


Coin (open end) No. 


3 — 


II 


2 1 / 2 X4 1 A inches 


No. 


5 — 


II 


2 7 /sX 514 inches 


No. 


SY2- 


II 


3%Xsy 2 inches 


Pay (open side) No. 


2 — 


U 


2 1 £X4 1 i inches 



274 The Printer's Dictionary 

Sizes of Paper — See Paper Sizes, Ruled Paper. 

Sizes of Type — Printing type has, first, a name 
indicating its size, and second, one denot- 
ing the style of its face. For instance, the 
type used for the text of this book is 10- 
point (its size) Franklin Old-style No. 79 
(the foundry name of its face). Formerly 
there was no uniform standard of type 
sizes, although most foundries made types 
in a certain relative proportions, and these 
sizes were known by arbitrary names. 
But, as each foundry had a standard of its 
own, the printer who bought from different 
founders had no assurance that the bodies 
of one founder would exactly match that 
of the same name from another. 

The sizes of types now cast by American 
type founders are graduated on a uniform 
scale known as the Point system. The unit 
of the system is a division of space called 
a point (about V™ of an inch), and all type- 
bodies are multiples of and are measured 
by it. The multitude of type faces made by 
the foundries nowadays makes it neces- 
sary to use several words to name a specific 
type, but each size is described by its num- 
ber of points. 

There are some printing-houses where the 
old sizes are still in use and many of the 
old names are in vogue — even applied to 
types of the point system, — and the ap- 
prentice should familiarize himself with 



of Technical Terms 275 



these older names in connection with their 


corresponding sizes of the point system. 


3-Point 


. 


. . Excelsior 


4-Point 


. 


. . Brilliant 


4^ -Point 


. 


. . Diamond 


5-Point 


. 


. . Pearl 


5^-Point 
6-Point 
7-Point 


• 


. . Agate 
. . Nonpareil 
. . Minion 


8-Point 


. 


. Brevier 


9-Point 
10- Point 
n-Point 


• 


. Bourgeois 

. . Long primer 

. Small pica 


12-Point 


, 


. Pica 


14-Point 
1 6-Point 


• 


. English 
. Columbian 


18-Point 

20-Point 
22-Point 


• ■ 


j Great primer 
' I Three-line nonpareil 
. Paragon 
. Two-line small pica 


24-Point 
28-Point 


• • 


. Two -line pica 
. Two-line english 


32-Point 


. , 


. Two-line Columbian 


36-Point 
40-Point 
44-Point 


• 


. Two-line great primer 
. Two-line paragon 
. Meridian 


48-Point 


. 


. Canon, Four-line pica 



The smallest size in general use is 5-point 
(pearl), and sometimes 4^ -point (dia- 
mond) is necessary, but except for special 
uses, such as miniature editions of books, 
cut-in notes, piece-fractions, small borders, 
and special characters, and an occasional 
word or line that is required to be put into 
the smallest possible compass, sizes be- 
low 5-point are not practicable for any 
extended use. Agate (5^ -point), nonpa- 



276 The Printer's Dictionary 

riel (6-point), minion (7-point), and brevier 
(8-point) are sizes used mostly in news- 
papers and magazines for the small type 
in advertisements. Agate (14 lines to an 
inch) is the common standard of measure- 
ment for newspaper and magazine adver- 
tising space, the price being usually based 
upon the number of agate lines. Ordinary 
roman types for books and periodicals are 
made only in the smaller sizes of the list. 
There are numberless varieties of these 
faces, some of which require the eye of an 
expert to distinguish one from another. 
Some of them are made in a few sizes only, 
while others are made in more or less com- 
plete series from 5 -point to 48-point. The 
irregular sizes of 5*^ -point, 7-point, 9- 
point, and 1 i-point are mostlyroman faces, 
with their companion italics, and a few 
bolder styles for side-headings and other 
display in combination with roman of the 
same body. 

Type-founders now make most new styles 
of type in graded series from 6-point to 
72-point, and in some cases even larger. 
Types adapted to many kinds of work are 
made in nearly all regular sizes; those hav- 
ing a more limited use are made in fewer 
sizes ; there being, for instance, less need 
for the smaller sizes of very heavy faces, 
while those designed for small and dainty 
work are made only in the smaller sizes 
of the list. 



1 



of Technical Terms 277 



6-Point 

7-Point I 

8- Point J 

9-Point 

10-Point I 

1 1 -Point 

12-Point 

14-Point 

18-Point 
22-Point 



24-Point 



30- Point 



36-Point 



42-Point 



48-Point 



H 



|h Sizes of job types are graduated 
|H by two points up to 14-point (6, 
|H 8, 10, 12, 14), with an occasional 
|H series having an 11 -point or a 
■H 15-pointsize ; then 18-pointand 
■j_j larger by multiples of 6-point 
up to 60-point (18, 24, 30, 36, 
42, 48, 54, 60). Larger sizes 
|J-J are usually 72-point, 84-point 
(rare), and 96 -point, the 
largest metal types cast in 
a mould being 120- point 
and 1 44- point. Besides 
the foregoing there are 
some intermediate sizes 
(16, 20, 22, 28, 30, 40- 
point), which, though 
not used for type of 
recent design, will be 
found in some compos- 
ing rooms. These 
sizes are mostly old 
type faces, scripts, 
and black-letter, 
originally cast on 
the old bodies 
and later, after 



Note. Each square of 
black shows one em of 
the size stated, and also 
the depth of the body 
upon which the letter is 
made. The space below 
the His required for let- 
ters like y, p, g, etc. 




278 The Printer's Dictionary 

the introduction of the point system, made 
on bodies of the new system which ap- 
proached nearest to their original sizes. 
Bastard types are those with faces larger 
or smaller than is commonly made on the 
body, as the face of 7- point on 6-point 
body, giving the effect of compactness ; or 
an 8-point face on a 9-point body, which 
gives a lighter appearance as if opened 
with thin leads. Because of this irregu- 
larity in the faces of types it is often diffi- 
cult, even for an expert, to know the body- 
size of a type by examining a printed sheet. 

Skeleton Chase — A plain iron frame of large 
size, without cross bars or dovetailed slots 
for bars. 

Skeleton Form — A form made up chiefly of 
large blank spaces, with relatively little 
printing surfaces widely separated, such 
as might be used for a blank-book page, 
or a form for printing spots of a second 
color on a job. 

Skeleton Letter — A type face in which the 
lines are very thin and the shapes of letters 
greatly condensed or unusually extended. 




1 



Slice — A thick, wide metal knife for hand- 
ling ink, etc. 



of Technical Terms 279 

Slice Galley — An old style wooden galley, in 
two parts ; used for large pages. The up- 
per part, or slice, on which the type was 
placed, fitted into a lower tray with ledges 
on three sides. The slice had a ledge 
which closed the fourth side when the gal- 
ley was put together. When the page was 
tied up securely, the shingle-shaped slice 
was withdrawn, and from it the page was 
pushed on to the imposing stone. This 
style of galley has now gone out of use. 

Slide — Another name for the movable knee 
of a composing stick. 

Slip Proof — A long, narrow proof taken from 
the galley before the type is made up into 
pages or columns. 

Slip-sheet — An extra sheet of waste paper 
placed between freshly-printed sheets as 
they are printed, to prevent set-off of ink. 
See Interleave, 

Slitter — A mechanism for cutting sheets of 
paper lengthways as they pass through a 
printing press or other machine. It con- 
sists, usually, of a small disk with a sharp 
cutting edge which revolves swiftly close 
beside another steel cutting edge. The 
edge of the sheet is presented at the proper 
point and as it passes along the revolving 
wheel slits the sheet. 

Sloping Fractions — Those made with the di- 
agonal line, in distinction from those with 
the short horizontal lines. See Fractions. 



280 The Printer's Dictionary 

Slug — A thick lead. In newspaper and other 
piece-work it has a word or figure on it to 
denote the compositor to whom the matter 
following belongs. 

Slur — A blurred impression. Slurring is due 
to a disturbance of the sheet when the im- 
pression of the form is made. On a hand 
press, when the sheet is laid on the form 
by hand, any wavering may cause the 
sheet to move sideways ; or it may be dis- 
turbed when putting on a sheet or card for 
extra impression, or by carelessly slam- 
ming down the tympan before the bed is 
run in under the platen. If the bed of the 
press is very smooth and slippery, as it 
often is when electrotype forms covered 
with black lead are handled, a quick mo- 
tion of the bed, after the sheet and tympan 
are down, may cause the form to move 
slightly before it is in place for the im- 
pression. On a job press, a slur may be 
caused by improper adjustment of the 
platen ; it may not be level on its bolts, or 
the impression may strike hard on one cor- 
ner or one end. A loose, baggy tympan, 
with too much packing under it, may keep 
the sheet so far up from its impressional 
level that the form will touch it first and 
push it down some distance before the im- 
pression is made ; or the grippers may not 
hold the sheet smooth and firm. On a cyl- 
inder press, the gripper-fingers may not 
be fixed evenly and the sheet or some part 



of Technical Terms 281 

of it may slip as it is being drawn around 
for the impression ; the cylinder and bed 
may not be adjusted to move together ac- 
curately ; the bearers may not be the right 
height ; the packing on the cylinder may 
be too little, or too much, and loose ; or 
the bands which hold the sheet up to the 
cylinder may let the tail of the sheet down 
on the form before the impression occurs. 
Slurring may be due to a variety of causes, 
either defects in the press or in the adjust- 
ment of its parts. A form with large open 
spaces in it is more apt to slur than a 
solid, compact form. A solid form will, 
because of the more uniform distribution 
of pressure, usually leave an even impres- 
sion on the sheet. A form with a single 
line or a rule standing alone will need to 
have the sheet held down smooth and firm 
against the impression surface, or tympan, 
and the proper pressure made with pre- 
cision in order to leave a sharp, clean 
imprint ; the least deflection or unneces- 
sary force will leave a blurred or thick- 
ened result. 

Small Pica — The old name for the type size 
now known as 1 1 -point. See Sizes of Type, 

Small Caps — Nearly all fonts of type intend- 
ed for book work have, in addition to the 
usual capitals, an alphabet of small capi- 
tals. These are slightly larger than the 
small letters of the lower-case font, and are 



282 The Printer's Dictionary 

often useful for side-headings, sub-heads, 
running titles, and in other places where 
some variation from the other alphabets is 
desirable. The quantity of small caps, in a 
complete font is comparatively small, and 
type founders do not include them in the 
font unless specially ordered. In some 
fonts the small caps, c, o, s, v, w, x, z, are 
so nearly like the lower-case letters that 
they are distinguished only by very close 
scrutiny of both side by side. Occasion- 
ally, small caps, are marked by an extra 
nick near the top of the type ; why type 
founders do not so mark them in all cases 
and save the typographer much trouble, is 
a query often asked. In copy, a direction 
to use small caps, is to draw two lines= 
under the word. 

Soft Paper — That which has a soft surface 
and body, and little or no sizing, requiring 
relatively little pressure for printing ; news 
and common book paper. 

Softening Punch, or Hammer — A tool with a 
stippled face, used by pressmen to soften 
up or slightly roughen the edges of vign- 
etted halftones that have been worn in 
printing. 

Solace — A penalty imposed by old-time print- 
ers for violation of shop laws. 

Solid Matter — Matter without leads between 
the lines ; with few break-lines it is, in 
piece-work, lean. 









of Technical Terms 283 

Solids — In a printing surface, the smooth 
parts which print full color, as distinguish- 
ed from parts that are stippled, grained, 
or otherwise made to print a gray color. 
The brightest or whitest portions of a pic- 
ture are termed high lights. 

Solid Pick — A letter, in type or electro, filled 
up with metal or other hard substance. 

Sorts — The letters in the boxes of a case ; 
" out of sorts," short of particular letters ; 
" runs on sorts/' when the copy calls for 
more than the usual number of any letters. 

Sort Up — To add sorts or needed letters to 
a case of type. 

Space — The thin metal blanks used to sepa- 
rate words in a line of type. Trade custom 
designates the thinnest blanks, up to one 
third of the em, as spaces, and those one 
half the em and wider as quads. The dif- 
ferent thicknesses of spaces are named 
three-to-em (|), four-to-em (|), five-to-em 
(|), hair space (|), according to their rela- 
tion to the square, or em quad. To the be- 
ginner the difference between spaces and 
quads is often confusing, as a metal blank 
that is a three-to-em space of one size of 
type is exactly the same dimensions as a 
three-em quad of another size of type. 
Thus, a three-to-em space of an 18-point 
font is 6 X 18 points, which is identical 
with a three-em quad of a 6-point font. 
The difference between the two blanks is, 



284 The Printer's Dictionary 

however, in the position of the nick ; on 
the 6-point quad the nick is along the wide 
three-em side, while on the 18-point space 
it is across the narrow 6-point edge of the 
blank. When there is a shortage of quads 
of smaller size, spaces of a larger size may 
often be used to supply the deficiency ; 
but, when the matter is distributed, these 
different spaces and quads should be put 
with their proper fonts and not scattered 
here and there throughout the cases in the 
room. See High Spaces, Low Spaces, Quads, 

Space Barge — An English trade name for a 
small tray with six or more divisions, to 
hold an assortment of spaces; such as may 
be used for correcting on the stone or the 
press. A space barge may often be merely 
a piece of paper or card. 

Space Dots — Periods cast higher than the 
usual line of the face. They are used be- 
tween words set in roman capitals com- 
posed in classic style of tablet inscriptions, 
in titles, etc. For occasional use only, and 
not advisable where there are many words. 

FOR • CLASSIC • LETTERING • IN 
IMITATION • OF • INSCRIPTIONS 

Space Rules — Small metal dashes cast on thin 
bodies, used in occasional small tables, al- 
gebra work, etc., to separate words or fig- 
ures. Brass rules with light faces are now 
used with better results. 






of Technical Terms 285 



Space Out — To increase the spacing between 
words or lines, to make full length, or to 
cover specified area. 

Spanish N — The letter n with a curved line 
{tilde) over it, representing the sound of ny, 
as canon, pronounced canyon. Sometimes 
called curley n. 

Specimen Book — A book or catalogue show- 
ing the productions of a type foundry, elec- 
tro foundry, engraving shop, etc. It is 
now usually made in the latest and high- 
est style of the art, and should be carefully 
studied by every apprentice, to increase 
his knowledge about materials and the 
manner in which they are used. 

Specimen Page — A sample page ; it may be 
of a proposed book, or to show the use of 
certain types, borders, etc. In all impor- 
tant work a specimen page is first set, in 
order to decide upon the style, size, and 
other details. 

Split Fractions — Those cast in two or more 
pieces ; same as piece fractions. 

Spoilage — Paper spoiled or wasted in press- 
work. 

Spring — When a form is locked in the chase 
and the type and furniture rise slightly 
from the imposing surface, it is said to 
spring. This is caused by furniture, cuts, 
or other material not being perfectly true 
on the sides, or by improper justification 
of the matter. It is also liable to occur 



286 The Printer's Dictionary 

where there are wide spaces fitted with 
wood furniture and the lockup is too tight. 
Spring in the form means that it will not 
lay solidly on the bed of the press, and 
the form is not in a proper condition for 
printing. A form may be readily tested, 
when locked up, by gently pounding it 
with the side of the fist ; a spring in any 
part will be detected by the difference in 
sound at the points where it is solid and 
where it springs. The usual remedy is to 
unlock and examine the form where the 
spring occurs ; a long line, or rule, or slug, 
or an imperfect piece of furniture may be 
the cause ; sometimes simply reversing a 
piece of furniture, straightening up lines 
that are off their feet, or tightening up the 
quoins in a different order may remedy the 
defect. Even when a form is in good con- 
dition, it may spring because it is locked 
too tightly. To try to overcome spring in 
a form by vigorous use of the planer and 
mallet is an unwise proceeding and usu- 
ally results in trouble later. See Rise. 

Squabble— -Type matter twisted out of shape. 

Square Twelves — A scheme of imposition in 
which the pages of one side of a 12 mo are 
laid down in three rows of four pages each. 
See Long Twelves. 

Stand — A frame on which type cases are 
placed; the lower part is usually fitted with 
a rack for additional cases. 



of Technical Terms 287 

Standing Galley — A frame with inclined top 
divided into galley-like divisions for hold- 
ing type in pages or columns ; the divi- 
sions are usually lined with zinc or brass 
and serve as stationary galleys. The lower 
part of the frame often has case racks, let- 
ter boards, drawers or boxes for sorts, etc. 

Standing Matter — That which is kept from 
one printing to another, like advertising, 
notices, or other composed matter. 

Standing Press — Used in book binderies. 
See Hydraulic Press. 

Stamping Press - A small powerful apparatus 
for printing steel dies, official seals, and 
other work ; general term for die press, 
seal press, etc. 

Staple Binder — A small machine, operated 
by hand or treadle, for binding pamphlets, 
documents, etc., with wire staples. 

Star [*] — The asterisk ; the first in the list 
of old-style reference marks. 

Statement — A blank form, with printed head- 
ing, used for presenting a statement of 
account between a business firm and its 
customers. It is a common form of job 
printing. See Bill-head. 

Steam Printing — An obsolete phrase, which 
meant that the printing press was run by 
steam power — when this method was su- 
perseding hand-power. Later, we have 
had " electric printers." 



288 The Printer's Dictionary 

Steel Die — A small block of polished steel, 
upon which letters or other characters are 
engraved in intaglio. It is employed for 
fine stationery and card work, and is more 
expensive than typographic or relief-plate 
printing. The design to be stamped is 
transferred to steel and engraved by hand. 
The etching process is used to a limited ex- 
tent, but the die must be finished by hand. 
It is then fastened in the head of a stamp- 
ing machine. Stiff ink is dabbed into the 
lines of the design and the face cleaned off. 
A counter die is built up of bristol board, 
and the impression forces the stock into 
the die and takes up the ink remaining in 
the lines, thus producing an embossed ef- 
fect at the same time. This process must 
be repeated for every impression. The 
work may be done by hand or power, on 
a machine built expressly for the purpose. 
The ink used is ground in damar varnish, 
and very little, if any, other medium is used 
except japan dryer. The beauty of the fin- 
ished work by this process is in the perfect 
register of printing and embossing, which 
is done simultaneously, and the high gloss 
which is made possible by the thick layer 
of ink that is mostly varnish. Imitation 
steel-die printing is sometimes done on 
common typographic job presses, by first 
printing the design flat ; when the ink is 
dry, the form is run a second time with 
gloss varnish, and then an ordinary em- 



of Technical Terms 289 

bossing die put on the press for the final 
impression. All three impressions must be 
run in carefully exact register. This is suc- 
cessful for designs that contain little de- 
tail or are not too small. See Embossing. 

Steel Electrotype — An electro upon the sur- 
face of which a thin film of steel has been 
deposited. Besides durability of face, it 
withstands the chemical action of certain 
colored inks, which cause trouble with or- 
dinary electros. Steel facing is resorted 
to where large numbers are to be printed 
from photogravure plates. The first film is 
deposited by an electric battery over the 
whole of the plate, which it hardens and 
protects. This steel face in time begins to 
wear, through constant pressure and rub- 
bing incidental to the process of printing, 
and the copper begins to show through it ; 
when this happens the plate is placed in 
an acid bath and the steel film disappears ; 
the plate itself being intact, may be re- 
stored for further work. A later improve- 
ment of great value is the nickel steel 
electro. This is a deposit of nickel steel, 
instead of copper, directly on a wax or 
lead mould, giving a more exact duplicate 
of the original than is obtained by the 
former method, which adds a film of nickel 
to the copper duplicate. See Electrotype. 

Stem (of letter) — The main upright stroke of 
a letter. 



290 The Printer's Dictionary 

Steel Engraving — A plate of polished steel 
on which the picture or design is engraved 
or etched in intaglio ; in general practice 
the method of engraving and printing is 
like copperplate work, and the results sim- 
ilar. A picture made from a steel plate. 
See Copperplate Engraving, 

Steel Furniture — A modern improvement on 
printer's wood and soft metal furniture ; 
its great advantage being durability, rigid- 
ity, and usually lighter weight than the 
ordinary metal. Made in various styles, 
for which see dealers' catalogues ; see also 
Furniture. 

Stencil — A sheet of strong paper or thin 
metal in which a pattern of letters or other 
characters are cut through in such a man- 
ner as to give a general though often in- 
complete representation of the design. It 
is used by laying on a surface and brush- 
ing over with coloring matter. A pattern 
produced by a stencil. 

Stereotype — A printing plate of metal, cast 
from a matrix held in a mould while 
melted stereotype metal is poured in. The 
matrix for a stereotype is made by taking 
an impression of the type page, form, en- 
graving, or other surface, on a specially 
prepared thick paper. This special paper, 
called a flong, is made by pasting together 
several sheets of strong tissue and thick 
blotter-like paper with a prepared paste. 



of Technical Terms 291 

This sheet, while in a soft, pulpy state, is 
laid on the form, covered with a thick felt 
blanket, and the whole put into a strong 
press, heated by steam or hot air, and 
allowed to set and dry. A matrix may 
also be made by beating the flong on the 
form with a strong, flat brush. When the 
matrix is thoroughly dry it is trimmed and 
placed in the casting box. Stereotypes to 
be used on rotary presses are cast in 
curved shape, to fit the cylinder upon 
which they are to be clamped ; so that the 
casting box must conform to the curve of 
the cylinder. Stereotypes are now chiefly 
used by daily newspapers. They are not 
so well adapted as electrotypes for book 
printing and general commercial work ; 
the coarse quality of the stereo matrix and 
the soft metal do not compare with the 
fine wax moulding and tough copper face 
of electrotypes ; but the short time in 
which stereotypes can be made, and their 
cheapness, make them well adapted for 
newspaper work. 

Stereo — Abbreviation of stereotype. 

Stereo Chase — Extra strong and thick, for 
locking up forms to be moulded for stere- 
otyping ; foundry chase, electro chase. 

Stereo Flong — The soft prepared sheet of 
paper used to make a stereo matrix; 
when it has been moulded on the form 
and dried it becomes a matrix. 



292 The Printer's Dictionary 

Stereo Metal — In distinction from type metal, 
stereo metal is softer, containing a larger 
percentage of lead, a small quantity of 
antimony, and little or no tin. 

Stet — Written opposite a word in proof, to 
signify that it is wrongly marked out and 
shall remain. 

Stick — A composing stick. 

Sticker — A small, narrow gummed slip, usu- 
ally printed, to paste on another sheet or 
object. Before the days of the Australian 
ballot in elections, many printers did a 
lively but brief business in printing stick- 
ers for candidates who wished to get their 
names on as many as possible of the ballot 
sheets in use on election day. 

Stickful — An amount of composed type that 
would be set in a stick at one time ; about 
two inches of the column. 

Stiffener — A thick card inserted in a cover, 
envelope, or similar wrapper, to protect 
the package from injury by bending or 
breaking. 

Stipple — A printing surface that consists of 
dots, instead of lines. The dots may be 
fine or coarse, to give effects of light and 
dark. Halftones are stipple engravings. 

Stitcher — See Wire Stitcher. 

Stock — Paper, cardboard, or other material 
upon which printing is done. 



of Technical Terms 293 

Stock Cut — An electro of an engraving, orna- 
ment, or other design kept in stock by 
dealers. It costs less than a special cut, 
as it is one of a number of duplicates. 
Type founders, electrotypers, and engrav- 
ing houses supply a large line of these. 

Stone — The imposing stone ; an iron impos- 
ing surface may be sometimes termed a 
stone. 

Stone-hand— One who is chiefly employed in 
imposing and other work on the stone. 

Stone Work — That which is done on the 
imposing stone or table, like making up 
large pages, imposing book forms, lock- 
ing up, etc. Before placing a type form on 
the stone, it should be corrected, properly 
spaced and leaded, and securely tied up. 
The surface of the stone should be per- 
fectly smooth and free from grit and dirt 
of every kind. Pass the hand over it to 
make sure that there is nothing to pre- 
vent every letter of the form being planed 
level. Also be sure that there is nothing 
on the bottom of the type. This is impor- 
tant, because, if there is anything under 
a letter or word to make it stick up higher 
than its mates, it will be battered in the 
planing down ; if the form goes on the 
press with the letter still high, the hard 
impression will batter it still further. Next, 
place the chase around the form, and put 
in the furniture. If it is a single page, lay 



294 The Printer's Dictionary 

it so that the top line is at your left hand ; 
then place four pieces of furniture around 
it like this : 




Next, fill in with furniture, leaving space 
enough for quoins at the further side of 
the form and at the foot of the page. Keep 
the type form as nearly as possible in the 
middle of the chase. If there is any vari- 
ation, let the page be a little below the 
center up and down. In order to secure 
an even impression on a platen press the 
printing surface should be in the exact im- 
pressional center. 




ving arrangement of furniture and 
quoins in a form . 

After the furniture and quoins are prop- 
erly placed, tighten the quoins with the 
finders and work your hand over the face 
of the form to straighten up any lines 
that may not be exactly on their feet. 
When the form is pressed together fairly 



of Technical Terms 295 

tight in this manner, plane it down care- 
fully — don't hammer it down. Then 
tighten up the quoins with the key, begin- 
ning with the quoin at the foot of the 
page, No. 1; then tighten No. 3, and No. 2 
next. Do not tighten up quoins with great 
force at the first twist of the key ; go over 
them several times, tightening each a lit- 
tle at a time. Do not lock up the form 
tighter than is necessary to make it firm ; 
to twist the quoins with such force as to 
make the form and furniture spring up 
from the stone will make it difficult to get 
an even impression later, with liability to 
slur, as well as to cause spaces, quads, and 
other blanks to work up on the press 
during the run. 

Do not place a metal quoin next to the 
iron chase ; if it must come close to the 
chase, put in a piece of reglet, or at least 
a strip of card. Also, in every case when 
possible, put a piece of reglet between the 
quoins and furniture, either wood or 
metal. This will save the furniture from 
injurious indentations made by the pres- 
sure of the quoins. 
Stop Cylinder — A style of printing machine 
in which the cylinder stops after making 
the impression, and remains stationary 
during the return of the flat bed contain- 
ing the form ; then starts again with the 
sheet for the next impression. See Cylin- 
der Press. 



296 The Printer's Dictionary 

Stops — The punctuation marks: full stop, 
the period. This use of the word is rare. 

Straight Matter — Plain composition, in ordi- 
nary paragraph form, as distinguished from 
display, or that set in special arrangement. 

Stroker — An English trade name for a press- 
man's bone or metal feeder, or folder. 

Stud-horse — Large, black type display, such 
as used for auction bills, horse sales, etc.; 
Something bolder and bigger than normal 
in newspapers and other work where small 
type is customary. 

Stuffer — A slip of printed advertising matter, 
convenient to go into ordinary envelopes 
and be sent with regular business corres- 
pondence or to accompany special adver- 
tising matter through the mails. Envelope 
stuffers are used in this way to take advan- 
tage of the full weight permitted by the 
postal rates. Although usually a slip of 
paper, a stuffer may be a card, folder, or 
small booklet, so that it does not call for 
additional postage on account of extra 
weight. 

Style of the Office — In order to maintain 
some consistency of practice in the multi- 
tude of details of composition, many print- 
ing offices have rules, more or less variable, 
concerning spelling, compounding, divi- 
sions, use of capitals, small capitals, ital- 
ics, headings, paragraphing, and other 
matters in which it is desired to pre- 



of Technical Terms 297 

serve as much uniformity as practicable. 
A style-card or style-book may be prepared 
for this purpose, or for a certain publica- 
tion, or a particular kind of work. 

Stylus — A sharp pointed instrument for writ- 
ing, for scratching on a surface covered 
with a film of wax or similar substance, or 
for writing on carbon manifold sheets. 

Sub. — Abbreviation for substitute ; a work- 
man who takes the place of another for a 
short time. 

Sub-head — A secondary heading or title ; 
usually put in type smaller or less promi- 
nent than main heading. It may be in a 
line by itself, or at the beginning of a par- 
agraph, as a side-head. 

Subscriber — One who contributes to an en- 
terprise, or pays for a book, magazine, or 
newspaper for a stated term. 

Subscription Books — Those sold directly to 
patrons by arrangement with the publish- 
ers or their agents — usually book agents 
who go from house to house ; as distin- 
guished from books on sale at usual stores. 

Super Royal — A size of writing paper larger 
than royal, 20x28 inches. A size of platen 
press, 15x21 inches, is sometimes termed 
a half super royal. 

Supercalendered — When paper has been given 
an extra smooth finish or glaze in the cal- 
ender rolls during manufacture it is said 
to be supercalendered. See S. 6* S. C. 



298 The Printer's Dictionary 

Superfine — A term denoting extra good qual- 
ity in paper, card, or other material. 

Superior Letters, or Figures. — Small letters 
cast on the upper part of the body, 2 3 * 
for references, etc. Those cast below the 
line are inferiors. Briefly, superiors. 

Supplement — An extra sheet or addition to a 
newspaper, magazine, or other publication. 
It maybe a picture, a pamphlet, or a broad- 
side, and be uniform with or entirely dif- 
ferent from the regular publication. 

Surfaced Paper or Card — That which is 
treated with a coating, either white or col- 
ored, and highly polished ; coated paper. 

Swash Letters — Italic capitals with little flour- 
ishes which fill up the gaps made by the 
inclination of the letters, etc. They are 
often furnished as extra characters for 
several kinds of italic, and are best used 
for occasional places only ; when used 
profusely or indiscriminately their decor- 
ative effect is easily spoiled. 

Syllable — A part of a word, which may be 
spoken by one effort of the voice ; it may 
be represented by one letter (a vowel) or 
by a number of letters. In type-setting, the 
division of words at the ends of lines is 
made between two syllables, never prop- 
erly in the middle of a syllable. 

Sympathetic Lnk — See Lnvisible Lnk. 



of Technical Terms 299 

TABLE — An orderly arrangement of top- 
ics, with figures in two or more vertical 
columns ; a list, an index, a collection of 
headings or numbers, a catalogue, a sylla- 
bus, a synopsis, etc. 

Table of Contents — A list or summary of the 
chapters, with titles, subjects, and page 
numbers, placed in the front of a book. 
See Index. 

Table Work — Lists of items arranged in col- 
umns, which are sometimes separated by 
blank spaces and sometimes divided by 
light ruled lines. Composition of this kind 
requires more care than straight matter, 
on account of the nicety of justification 
needed to keep the columns in true align- 
ment and to make the page lock up solidly. 

Tacky — Said of the condition of a printing 
roller when it has the right degree of stick- 
iness to take up and carry ink. 

Tail — The bottom of a page. 

Tail-piece — A small cut or ornament at the 
end of a chapter ; the decorative design at 
the bottom of a page. There are many stock 
designs available, mostly in the style of an 
inverted pyramid. See Head-piece. 

Take — When copy is divided among several 
compositors, each part is a take. 

Take In — To thin space a line in order to 
get in a syllable or word. To drive out is 
to wide space and put the syllable or word 
into the next line. 



300 The Printer's Dictionary 

Tall Copy — A specially good copy of an edi- 
tion. In the early days of printing the 
sheets of paper, being made by hand, varied 
more or less in size ; often there were dif- 
ferences of an inch or more in the same 
lot. When the sheets for a book were gath- 
ered, those with wide margins and which 
matched the best were selected for choice 
copies ; some books were tall, some wide, 
and others had very scant margins. Hence, 
any specially made book at a high price. 

Tarcolin — A proprietary name for a washing 

fluid for type forms, etc. 
Technique, or Technic — The principles and 

practice of a craft or manual art. 

Telegraph — In newspaper parlance, news 
or other matter transmitted by telegraph ; 
copy of this nature furnished to the com- 
positor, usually on thin sheets of paper. 

Terminology — The peculiar words, or tech- 
nical terms, with their explanations, used 
in a science, art, or trade. 

Ternion — An old-time bookish term for three 
four-page sheets set into each other. A 
quaternion is four sheets and quinternion 
five sheets thus arranged. In the early 
days of printing, books could be printed 
in forms of one or two pages only, because 
of the small, rude presses. As a collection 
of single folded sheets sewed side by side 
does not make a strong binding, it was the 
custom to arrange the pages so that a num- 



of Technical Terms 301 

ber of sheets nested in each other, like the 
signature of later times, and these sections 
were then more strongly sewed. This 
method of printing booklets and pam- 
phlets has always been in vogue, but the 
term is now obsolete. 

Text — The body matter of a page or of a 
book, as distinguished from titles, head- 
ings, notes, extracts, references, indexes, 
and other auxiliary matter. The word text 
is also used to describe the Old English 
or black letter style of type, probably from 
the fact that the text of the first books was 
printed in black letter. These two differ- 
ent meanings of the word often lead to con- 
fusion, as "text letter" may mean any kind 
of type used for the body of a page, or it 
may mean a display line set in a black let- 
ter. It would seem that the term in the lat- 
ter signification may well be discarded. 

Thick Leads — Those over 2-point; thin leads 
are usually understood as those less than 
2-point, the 2-point being the normal or 
common lead. See Leads. 

Thick Space — The 3-to-em of any body ; 4-to- 
em, 5-to-em, etc., are thin spaces. 

Thirty, or "jo" — When a telegraphic news 
dispatch is received, its completion is indi- 
cated by the number 30. Hence, in a 
newspaper composing room, when thirty 
is in it is a signal to close the forms and 
go to press. 



302 The Printer's Dictionary 

Thirty-twomo — A sheet folded in thirty-two 
leaves, making a small size book, about 
3^6 x 4^4 inches; 32mo. 

Three-color Printing — The process of repro- 
ducing a picture or drawing in many colors 
photo-mechanically with three separate 
printing plates, each plate being used for 
a different color — that is, one of the three 
primary colors, red, yellow, or blue. The 
process begins with making three photo- 
graphic negatives of the copy, focused 
exactly alike. Each of these negatives re- 
produces one of the three color values of 
the picture. These three colors — yellow, 
red, blue — are chosen because their mix- 
ture in varying proportions will reproduce 
all the other colors of the spectrum, with 
little loss to their real values. In making 
these negatives colored screens or filters 
are used between the negative and the 
copy. For the yellow negative a color fil- 
ter is used to shut out the yellow rays and 
allow only the red and blue rays to pass 
through. For the red negative the filter 
admits only the blue and yellow rays, and 
for the blue negative only the yellow and 
red rays. On these negatives the colors fil- 
tered out form the transparent part of the 
negative, just as black is the transparent 
part of an ordinary photographic negative. 
Halftone plates are then made from these 
negatives by the usual process. The yel- 
low plate is printed first, then the red, and 



of Technical Terms 303 

the blue last. As a result of printing these 
colors one over another, the engraved sur- 
face of each plate taking on its different 
parts just the right amount of its color to 
combine with the others, the picture is 
produced in its original colors. The proc- 
ess has been developed within the past 
thirty years, the first plates having been 
made by Mr. Frederick Ives of Philadel- 
phia, about 1880. Much skill is needed 
in making the plates, and they require 
more or less manipulation in etching dif- 
ferent parts in order to produce correct 
color values. Expert skill is required also 
in the printing of three-color plates, in or- 
der to produce good results — just the 
right color and quantity of ink, just the 
right impression, and absolutely exact reg- 
ister. See Quadri-color. 

Three-line Letter — A large initial letter at the 
beginning of a paragraph, the depth of 
three lines of the text. 

Throwing Quads — To play at dice with 
quads ; jeffing. 

Throw-off — A lever attachment on a press 
by which the relative positions of the form 
and platen can be slightly changed while 
the press is running, so that no impression 
is made. See Impression Throw-off 

Thorne Type-Setting Machine — See Simplex 
Type-Setter. 



304 The Printer's Dictionary 

Thumbnail Cut — Any small cut, of a sketchy 
style, such as may be used on the margin 
of a page, etc. 

Ticket — A small piece of printed card or 
strong paper. Tickets are used for a mul- 
titude of purposes and form a staple item 
in all offices doing small job work. The 
great bulk of ticket printing is, however, 
specialty work, done, for the most part, 
with special machines. In the case of street 
ear tickets, railroad tickets, theater tickets, 
and the like, there are requirements of slit- 
ting, perforating, serial and consecutive 
numbering, etc., in addition to the word- 
ing or design of the ticket itself. In many 
cases safety devices, which make them 
difficult to duplicate or counterfeit, are 
necessary, and the method of manufacture 
must be well guarded against theft. 

Tilde — The small curve on the top of the 
Spanish n ~\ See Spanish N. 

Time Ticket — A slip or memo, upon which 
a workman records the time spent on a 
given piece of work, or a number of jobs. 
Each department of a printing house has 
a specially prepared blank for this pur- 
pose, and the filling out of records of this 
kind is now required of all workmen, in 
order to ascertain the proper charges. 

Time Work — That which is paid for by the 
hour, day, or week, in distinction from 
piece work. 



of Technical Terms 305 

Tin Printing — Printing on tin is done by an 
off-set process. The impression is made 
first from a relief -pi ate or litho stone on to 
a rubber-covered cylinder, and from this 
cylinder the impression is transferred to 
the tin sheet. The rubber takes a clear 
impression from the original, and its elas- 
tic surface gives a smooth and true impres- 
sion on the hard, uneven tin surface. The 
work is a specialty and is done on specially 
built presses. 

Tin-plate Printing — The use of zinc and alu- 
minum instead of stone for lithographic 
printing is sometimes so called. 

Tint — A degree of any color lighter than nor- 
mal, as when white is added ; when the 
color is darkened by adding black it is a 
shade. 

Tint Block — An engraved, grained, or flat 
plate or electro for printing a faint color, 
either as a background or to fill panels or 
other parts in a design. 

Tissue — A thin sheet of paper used to cover 
the face of an engraving or plate in the 
better class of books. It is made of spe- 
cial qualities for this purpose. 

Title Letter — A roman face, of capitals and 
figures only, slightly heavier than ordinary 
book letter, originally designed for title 
pages, headings, etc. Any type face spe- 
cially designed for titles and headings. 



306 The Printer's Dictionary 

Title Page — The page at the beginning of a 
book which describes the work, usually 
with the author's name, publisher's im- 
print, date of issue, etc. 

Title Sheet — The first signature or sheet of 
a book, which contains the title page and 
other front matter. 

Token — Half a ream of paper. The term is 
going out of use. Formerly a token was 240 
sheets, but of late years paper has been 
made 500 sheets to the ream, and a token 
is one half of that. 

Tooling — To re-engrave or touch up parts 
of an engraving with a hand tool ; to em- 
bellish a book cover by means of small 
hand tools. 

Toned Paper — A lightly tinted paper of any 
color. 

Top Sheet — The outside sheet in the prepa- 
ration of a tympan or cylinder packing ; 
it usually covers the overlays and other 
make-ready. Also called draw sheet. 

Transo Envelope — A trade name for an en- 
velope having on its face a transparent 
panel through which a written or printed 
address on the sheet inside may be seen. 
Also called outlook envelope. 

Transfer — To take an impression of a form, 
plate, or drawing and transfer it mechan- 
ically to another plate or flat surface. This 



of Technical Terms 307 

is done in various ways for many differ- 
ent purposes in printing. The simplest 
method of transferring an impression is 
to take a proof of the original on a sheet 
of smooth paper of good quality, and, 
while the ink is still moist, lay it face down 
on the plate or surface upon which it is 
desired to be transferred. Then place this 
under pressure, as on a hand-press, with 
sufficient force to make the ink adhere to 
the plate. This is a convenient method 
when it is desired to make a tint block or 
color plate for a job. The electro found- 
ries and supply houses furnish blank metal 
plates for the purpose. When the transfer 
impression is thoroughly dry, the plate is 
cut out or engraved, according to the 
necessities of the design. The plate is first 
mounted on a block, like an electro. 
When it is desired to transfer a print or 
drawing on which the ink is dry, the back 
of the print is moistened with benzine, or 
a solution of lye, or some fluid which will 
soften the ink enough to permit it to off- 
set on the new surface. Sometimes the 
transfer may be made by rubbing the back 
of the sheet with a burnisher, instead of 
by mechanical pressure. Several methods 
of printing are based on the transfer or 
offset principle. See Rubber Offset Press, 
Wall-Paper Printing. A process of trans- 
ferring to glass, china, marble, etc., by 
which the design is made to adhere to the 



308 The Printer's Dictionary 

new surface while the paper is dissolved 
and washed away, thus leaving all the ink 
or paint of the original, is called decalco- 
mania. 

Transfer Ink — A special ink used in litho- 
graphic work ; sometimes called tusche. It 
is usually a compound of lampblack, shel- 
lac, wax, soap, tallow, etc. 

Transfer Paper — A paper specially finished, 
upon which designs are printed or drawn 
in transfer ink, to be transferred to a litho- 
graphic stone or metal plate. Also a car- 
bon sheet or similarly prepared paper. 

Transpose — To change a letter, word, phrase, 
etc., from one place to another, as marked 
on copy or proof ; the abbreviation tr. is 
marked on the margin. See Proof Reader *s 
Marks. 

Treadle — A foot lever by which a machine 
may be operated. 

Triple Case — A type case divided into three 
sections, instead of two like the common 
cap. case, each having the boxes for hold- 
ing a font of capitals ; used for fonts of 
lining gothics and similar fonts of capitals, 
as well as for special characters, accents, 
fractions, signs, etc. 

Triangular Quads — These are useful some- 
times when it is necessary to justify mat- 
ter beside a diagonal rule or border, 
or for holding a word or line in a 
form at an angle. 




of Technical Terms 309 

Tri-chromatic Printing — Three-color printing. 

Tub-sized — Said of paper that has been sized 
by passing through a tub or vat. See Size. 

Turned Commas [ " ] — Used at the begin- 
ning of quotations ; apostrophes are used 
at the end. Turned commas are often used 
to signify ditto in catalogue tables and 
other places where a repetition of the 
words of a top line are deemed unneces- 
sary, thus : 

6-point roman type, per lb. 64 cts. 

•j a u u u rf, a 

Q it «< a a r -> << 

Turn for Sorts — When a letter runs short, 
or there is none in the case, and it will be 
provided later, another letter of the same 
thickness is placed in the line face down- 
ward, thus: t"rned. It is the rule in all 
composing rooms, when a letter has been 
taken from a live page to be put in another, 
there should be a turned type inserted to 
show the absence of the proper letter. 

Turps — Abbreviation for turpentine ; a word 
common in British printing houses, where 
turpentine is used to wash type, cuts, etc. 

Turtle — A section of the surface of a large 
cylinder on the old-time type -revolving 
press. Newspaper pages were made up on 
these curved surfaces, the columns run- 
ning laterally along the cylinder surface. 
Column rules were thin at the bottom and 



310 The Printer's Dictionary 

thick at the top, allowing a slight curvature 
from column to column across the page. 
The bottoms of the column rules extended 
beyond the face and the ends were fast- 
ened in the frame-work of the turtle ; this, 
together with firm lock-up at the foot of 
each column, kept the type in place dur- 
ing its revolutions in printing. See Type- 
Revolving Press. 

Turtle Plate — A curved stereotype or electro- 
plate to fit the cylinder of a rotary press. 

Tweezers — Small spring nippers for occa- 
sional use to pick up type, etc. The hand- 
iest thing ever invented for injuring type. 
An apprentice who thinks tweezers are 
better than his fingers to pick up type and 
correct on the galley should be forbidden 
to use tweezers except under supervision ; 
when they are needed, he should be shown 
their proper use and carefulness insisted 
upon. 

Twelvemo — A sheet folded into twelve leaves, 
the leaf being about 5x7*^ inches ; a duo- 
decimo ; written also 12 mo. A form for 
printing a sheet of this kind is termed a 
form of twelves — twelve pages on one side 
and twelve on the other. 

Twenty-fourmo — A sheet folded into twenty- 
four leaves; written 2411)0. 

Two-third Case — A type case two thirds the 
width of the regular size ; usually to fit 
special cabinets. 



of Technical Terms 311 

Two-line Letter — An initial or letter covering 
two lines of the text matter. It should be 
observed that a letter on a body twice the 
size of the text is not always two-line on its 
face ; the real two-line, three-line, etc., has 
a large face and relatively little shoulder. 

Two-thirder — A workman who is not a full 
fledged journeyman ; an advanced ap- 
prentice, to whom is paid about two thirds 
of a journeyman's wage. 

Tying Up — To bind together a page of com- 
posed type with a string. This is one of 
the first things the apprentice should learn 
to do, and he should learn to do it prop- 
erly. It is not a difficult trick, after a little 
practice, and probably no other detail of 
a compositor's work exhibits his habit of 
carefulness or carelessness. When the 
page is completed on the galley, hold one 
end of the string on the exposed corner 
(the end of the last line), about half way 
down on the shank of the type. Then wind 
the string around the top of the page and 
down the lower side, till it reaches the 
starting point ; here cross it over the first 
turn and wind around again, two, three, 
four, or more times around the page, ac- 
cording to the strength of the string and 
the size of the page. Each turn of the 
string should cross the first turn at the 
corner, so as to bind it. With the left hand 
this corner of the page should be held 



312 The Printer's Dictionary 

securely, while the string is drawn around 
firmly and evenly, but not too tight. When 
enough turns of the string are around the 
page, a loop is formed and pushed in be- 
hind the string and the type, just around 
one corner; this loop is then draw up 
tightly at the corner, so that it will hold. 
The string should be about at the middle 
of the shank of the type all around the 
page, and care should be exercised to pre- 
vent a loose end from getting under the 
type when proof is pulled. 
Tympan — The sheets of paper, card, cloth, 
or other material, that cover the platen or 
cylinder of a press, and on which the pa- 
per is placed to receive the impression ; 
also a cloth-covered frame attached to the 
bed of a hand press. On a cylinder press 
this feature is usually termed the packing. 
A soft tympan, consisting of six or seven 
sheets of common book paper and two or 
more sheets of soft card or blotter, is used 
for cheap work of ordinary grades, as it 
will readily cushion itself to any unequal 
heights of the printing form and requires 
less make-ready than a hard tympan. A 
soft tympan will, however, usually wear 
down the form- quicker than a hard tym- 
pan that has a careful make-ready. A hard 
tympan will consist of three or four sheets 
of smooth book paper and a sheet of hard 
bristol or pressboard. When the tympan 
is hard the make-ready should be done 



of Technical Terms 313 

with care, cutting out the high parts and 
underlaying or overlaying the low places, 
to make the impression as even as pos- 
sible all over the printing surface. The top 
sheet of a tympan should be strong enough 
to stretch tightly over the under sheets, to 
hold gauges firmly, and to withstand the 
rubbing and handling it may receive dur- 
ing the run. For short runs of small forms, 
up to two thousand impressions, a top 
sheet of common book paper will usually 
stand the wear, but for long runs the top 
sheet should be of good manila or other 
smooth, strong paper. The style of the 
press and its condition, as well as the kind 
of work to be done, will require many va- 
riations, often very slight, in the character 
of the tympan ; these details can only be 
learned by experience and observation, 
but carefulness and forethought are indis- 
pensable to avoid poor results. 

Tympalyn — A trade name for a specially 
prepared cylinder and platen covering. It 
is a composition of small wire springs and 
rubber cloth, made in thick sheets and 
fastened under the top or draw sheet. 

Type — Printers' types are small pieces of 
metal, each having a letter or other char- 
acter in relief on one end. They are made 
of many sizes, but all must be of exactly 
the same length, so that when they are 
assembled in lines and pages their faces 



314 The Printer's Dictionary 




shall present a uniform plane surface to be 
printed from. The character which each 
type is intended to print is called its face. 
As there must always be more or less white 
space around the letter, 
this face does not oc- 
cupy all the body, or 
shank, but is placed so 
that the printed charac- 
ter will be in its proper 
position beside its mates 
of the same font. Other 
features of a cast metal 
type are named and ex- 
plained in the diagram. 
The groove between the 
feet of the type is made 
by breaking off the jet 
which remains when it 
is cast. On large sizes 
the pin-mark often has 
figures denoting the size 
in points ; sometimes it may have a letter 
or device signifying the foundry where 
it was made. The utility of types depends 
upon their absolute accuracy, and the 
squareness of each type and of any num- 
ber of them in any combination. They 
must be not only exactly uniform as to 
height of face, but their bodies must be 
so made that when they are assembled in 
lines and pages by the compositor hun- 
dreds or thousands of them may be locked 



a a, the face 
b b, the serifs 
c c, the counter 
e, the pin-mark 
f f, the beard 
g, the shoulder 
h, the nick 
j j, the feet 
k, the grove 



of Technical Terms 315 

together by pressure at the sides in a per- 
fectly compact mass, and none be loose 
and fall out. A type that is cast longer or 
shorter than its mates is high-to-paper 
or low-to-paper. A type that is low will 
print faintly or will not show at all ; one 
that is high will be unduly forced into the 
sheet. Types are made from an alloy of 
lead, tin, antimony, and sometimes cop- 
per — a composition which, when melted, 
fills the mould exactly and shrinks very 
slightly in cooling, leaving a smooth, close- 
grained surface that is durable enough to 
give many impressions without breaking 
down. Hard metal is important, yet it 
must not be so brittle that types will break 
when dropped or fine lines snap of! when 
exposed to pressure. Small types are com- 
monly of harder metal than large types. 
Other materials used with type — leads, 
slugs, and the backing of electroplates — 
have a larger proportion of lead and are 
softer. Large types for show-cards and 
posters are made of wood of various kinds. 
See Wood Type. 

Type High — The height of type in America 
is .918 of an inch. Electros, engravings, 
and other forms to be printed on a typo- 
graphic press should conform to the type- 
high standard. Type-high gauges, useful 
articles in any composing or press room, 
are made in a number of styles. 



316 The Printer's Dictionary 

Type Founding — The casting or manufacture 
of printing type. For a long time after the 
invention of typography, type founding, 
printing, and binding were included in the 
general term of printing; printers cast 
their own types and printed and bound 
the books. Type founding became a dis- 
tinct vocation early in the seventeenth 
century. 

Two chief things are required to cast a 
type — a mould, in which the body is cast ; 
and a matrix, which faces one side of the 
mould and has in it a depressed image of 
the letter to be cast. The mould is made 
in two movable sections, which are fitted 
together in such a manner as to close up 
before the cast is made and then open suf- 
ficiently to release the type after casting. 
It is made of fine steel and requires skilled 
work. Owing to the high temperature to 
which it is subjected, every piece of steel 
(a mould usually is made of twelve or fif- 
teen pieces) must be carefully hardened 
and tempered, and allowance must be made 
for expansion and contraction of its parts 
in such a manner as not to affect the ac- 
curacy of the type which is cast in it. Ab- 
solute accuracy in every part is vitally im- 
portant. Each piece is carefully ground 
to a velvety smoothness and the parts of 
each section fastened solidly by means of 
steel screws. The weight of a mould varies 
from one to three pounds, according to the 



of Technical Terms 317 

size of type to be made in it. The matrix 
covers an opening at one side of the mould, 
and on the opposite side (which is the foot 
of the type) is an opening through which 
the melted metal is injected. To insure 
a solid body and clear, sharp face, this 
opening, or jet-hole, must be in right pro- 
portion to the size of the type to be cast. 
A type mould is made for a single size of 
body, but is made adjustable sideways to 
correspond to the different widths of let- 
ters of a font. One mould may be used 
to cast all the characters of a font, or of 
any number of fonts of the same size body, 
by simply changing matrices for the faces. 
Each mould must be not only true for the 
type-body it is to cast, but it must agree 
exactly with every other mould for the 
same size of body, because, in a large 
foundry, a number of moulds may be used 
for casting one size of type. 
As the matrix is the pattern of the face to 
be cast, it will be seen that it is the really 
important item in modern type-founding. 
Type-faces are many, and every week new 
ones are appearing. With the production 
of each new letter or character a new ma- 
trix is required, and every-day use of pop- 
ular faces injures or destroys many others. 
Matrices are made by different methods. 
The older method is by cutting the letter 
on the end of a small bar of soft steel, 
which is hardened when the letter has been 



318 The Printer's Dictionary 

perfected, and is then used to stamp into 
a bar of copper. This strike, as it is called, 
is the matrix in the rough. When it is 
smoothed down around the sunken impres- 
sion, with its sides trued up and finished, 
it is ready to be placed into the mould. 
This method of making matrices has been 
the one commonly employed for standard 
faces of body type in large demand, as, 
after the steel punch is made, it is the 
quickest way of producing a matrix. 
The electrotype method consists, first, in 
securing a perfect pattern of the letter. 
This pattern may be engraved by hand or 
by mechanical means, or it may be a per- 
fect type-face already cast. A brass plate 
(i}it0 2y 2 inches long, ^ to i^ inches 
wide, and % inch thick) with a square 
hole near one end, is then provided, and 
the pattern letter so fitted in this opening 
that it will have some open space around 
its face. A number of these brass plates, 
with their pattern letters, are then ar- 
ranged and fastened side by side in a 
flask. This flask is next entirely covered 
over with wax, except at the square open- 
ings in the brass plates. These openings, 
containing the faces of the pattern letters, 
are thus exposed, and the flask is then 
hung on a rod in an electro battery. Here 
the copper, held in solution of minute par- 
ticles, is deposited on the exposed portions 
of the flask until it forms a thick shell and 



of Technical Terms 319 

fills up the spaces between the sides of the 
square and the patterns. In a few days 
(often weeks, according to the size of the 
matrix), the flask is taken out, the wax 
removed, and the pattern letter withdrawn 
from its copper bed, leaving a perfect 
image in copper securely fitted in the brass 
plate. This brass plate is now an unfin- 
ished matrix, and requires to be smoothed 
off on all sides, reinforced by another 
brass strip riveted on its back, and finally 
fitted for the mould. 

The third method of making a matrix is 
with a matrix-cutting machine, invented 
by Mr. L. B. Benton and used by the Amer- 
ican Type Founders Company. In the 
upper part of this machine is placed a bar 
of metal composition — the future matrix. 
Above this, pointing downward at the 
proper position, is a rapidly revolving 
hardened steel needle which cuts the de- 
sign in the matrix. The cutting needle is 
held in the center of a finely adjusted, mov- 
able steel frame. This frame, with its re- 
volving needle-point, is controlled in all 
its motions, horizontally and laterally, by 
a rod suspended below ; by moving the 
lower end of this rod with the hand over 
a given diagram all its motions are dupli- 
cated on a much smaller scale by the cut- 
ting needle above. It will thus be seen that 
the thing necessary to produce any design 
in a matrix is a pattern to be placed on the 



320 The Printer's Dictionary 

lower shelf of the machine, under the point 
of the suspended rod. One pattern may 
be used to cut matrices for several dif- 
ferent sizes of the same letter by simply 
adjusting the machine to the size desired. 
All these operations in producing a matrix 
are mechanical, and may be done quickly 
and economically. 

There are several things about a type ma- 
trix which require skill and accuracy on 
the part of expert workmen. The outer 
surface must be in exact parallel with the 
face of the sunken letter, so that the face 
may be absolutely level on the top of the 
type-body. All the matrices of a font, and 
of all fonts cast in the same mould, must 
be of the same depth from the surface to 
the sunken face. The matrix must be fitted 
so that it leaves the face standing exactly 
upright, with proper shoulder on each side, 
and on true line with other letters in the 
font. Knowing that the matrix-fitter, as 
well as the mould-maker, divides an inch 
into ten thousand parts and uses delicate 
measuring instruments which detect the 
difference between one of these parts and 
two of them, it may be realized what pains- 
taking precision and minute calculations 
are needed to make a finished matrix. 
Casting the type. The matrix and mould 
being completed, they are then attached 
to the casting machine. This consists, pri- 
marily, of a pot, in which the type metal is 



of Technical Terms 321 

kept heated to a fluid state over a small 
gas furnace. Above and in the center of 
this metal pot is a rod with a spring attach- 
ment, which at each operation of the ma- 
chine acts as a plunger to force a small 
stream of hot metal through a side aper- 
ture into the jet-hole of the mould. After 
the casting, the two parts of the mould sep- 
arate slightly, the matrix is drawn away 
from the face of the type, and the cast is 
moved out ; then the mould and matrix 
close together again and the operation is 
repeated. Cold water or air is circulated 
around the mould to keep an even tempera- 
ture and prevent overheating. The matrix 
for one character only is placed in the ma- 
chine, and when enough type has been cast, 
it is taken out and replaced by another, the 
change requiring but a few moments. 
There are several kinds of type-casting 
machines in use, such as hand, steam, and 
automatic. The older machine is the hand 
caster, which is operated by a small wheel 
with a handle attached. This is now used 
for small fonts of large types, and for cast- 
ing sorts. Large type cannot be cast as 
fast as small sizes ; the mould must remain 
closed longer for the metal to cool, it must 
open wider to eject the cast, and the whole 
operation generally is more deliberate. 
Steam casters are operated by mechanical 
power (originally steam power, thus called 
steam casters) and, being faster, they are 



322 The Printer's Dictionary 

used for casting the smaller sizes of type. 
When type is cast by the hand machines 
it is still unfinished, as the piece of metal 
called the jet, which cooled in the opening 
of the mould, still adheres to the bottom 
of the type. This jet is broken off, the types 
are set in long lines, and fastened in a 
grooved channel, face down. A small plane 
smooths away the irregular surface caused 
by breaking off the jet, leaving a shallow 
groove on the bottom. The types also have 
slight burs and sharp edges which must 
be rubbed off before they are ready for in- 
spection and the font-room. Type cast on 
the older styles of steam machines also re- 
quired the jet to be broken off afterward ; 
on the later machines this was done by a 
little device on the machine, though the 
final finishing of the type is done after- 
wards by other operations. 
These operations, when type comes from 
machines of the kind just described, are 
done mostly by hand, with the aid of a pol- 
ishing stone or a small dressing wheel. 
On the automatic casting machine, which 
is the modern method of casting type, the 
breaking of the jet, dressing, etc., are all 
accomplished automatically on the ma- 
chine, the types coming out in a continuous 
line practically ready for the compositor. 
Small sizes of type may be cast on these 
modern machines as fast as one hundred 
in a minute. 



of Technical Terms 323 

Type-High Planer — An instrument for plan- 
ing oil the bottoms of electro bases and 
other printing blocks, to bring them to 
the exact height of type. 

Type Holder — A small tool for holding a few 
lines of type, for hand stamping ; such as 
used by book binders for lettering book 
covers, etc. 

Type Lice — Just ask any real live printer's 
apprentice ! 

Type Measure — A strip of strong cardboard, 
wood, or steel, having its edges marked 
with scales indicating ems of type sizes ; 
usually only sizes up to pica or 12-point 
are given. For measuring composition. 

Type Metal— See Type. 

Type-Revolving Press — A machine in which 
movable type, locked up on turtles, was 
fastened to a large cylinder and this set 
in motion to make an impression on an- 
other cylinder on which the paper was 
held. Between 1847 an d i860 the great 
newspapers of the world were printed from 
types. The making of stereotypes had not 
then been introduced, and there was no 
method of duplicating forms except by the 
laborious process of setting by hand ; and 
although the cylinder press was a great 
advance on the hand press, the single- 
cylinder machine was not fast enough for 
the rapidly increasing circulation' of news- 



324 The Printer's Dictionary 

papers. By fastening the type on a huge 
cylinder and then arranging around it four, 
six, eight, or ten small impression-cylin- 
ders, with ink-rollers, each revolution of 
the large cylinder, with its type form, pro- 
duced a corresponding number of copies. 
In this manner large editions were printed 
quickly, but the method was cumbersome 
and the machine occupied a great deal of 
room. The invention of the web press, 
with its curved stereotypes and roll of long 
paper, soon displaced it. See Turtle. 
Type-Setting Machine— An apparatus for com- 
posing type mechanically, instead of by 
hand. The term is loosely applied to all 
machines which produce composed read- 
ing matter. The Simplex machine (see 
Simplex Type-Setter) is a type-setting and 
type-distributing apparatus ; the Mono- 
type (see Lanston Monotype) casts individ- 
ual types and composes them in justified 
lines ; the Linotype (see Mergenthaler Lino- 
type) assembles matrices at the side of a 
mould and casts the complete line in one 
piece, or slug. The first patent for a type- 
setting machine was filed in 1822, by Wil- 
liam Church of Boston, who was at that 
time in England, where the patent was 
filed. Since then various other persons 
have studied the problem of substituting 
machinery for human hands in type-set- 
ting, and many machines have been in- 
vented, and discarded as impracticable. 



of Technical Terms 325 

There was little difficulty in making an 
apparatus that would set the type ; the 
problems of justifying the lines and dis- 
tribution seemed to be the chief obstacles. 
In the Simplex, setting and distributing are 
successfully done, but the justification of 
lines is done by hand work. 

Typewriter — A desk machine for writing with 
type by the touch of an operator's fingers 
on a keyboard. 

Typewriter Type — Made to imitate the work 
of typewriting machines. Its peculiarity 
is that every character and space is the 
same width, and every line will contain 
the same number of pieces. The printing 
of imitation typewriter letters is a special- 
ized line of work in many shops and results 
are produced in various ways. The ribbon- 
face effect may be produced by using a 
special stipple-faced type as shown here, 

Bibboa-face Typewriter 

or with ordinary type faces by interposing 
a sheet of fine muslin between the form 
and the sheet to be printed. 

Typographer — A printer; specifically, one 
who prints from movable types. Often ab- 
breviated to typo. 

Typographia — Relating to typography and 
kindred subjects. This word has been used 
as a title for books pertaining to printing 
and as the name of a society of printers. 



326 The Printer's Dictionary 

Typography — The art or process of printing 
from movable types. It is the method by 
which the greater part of the world's print- 
ing is done. It has great advantage over 
other methods because of the cheapness 
of its materials, for the rapidity with which 
it may be adapted to many different forms, 
for the ease with which ink may be applied 
to the printing surface, and for the rela- 
tively little force needed to make an im- 
pression. Also called letter-press printing. 

Typographic Numbering Machine — For use on 
typographic presses, either separately or 
in connection with type-high forms, as dis- 
tinguished from hand and other styles of 
automatic numbering machines. See Num- 
bering Machines. 

Typographical Union — See Unions. 

Typogravure — A trade name given by a firm 
of French picture publishers to a special 
kind of copper relief-plate halftone pictures. 

Typometry — A method of setting maps or dia- 
grams with movable types. See Map Type. 

Typothetae — A society of master printers or 
employing printers. This name was first 
given by the Emperor of Germany to the 
printers of that country about 1465. He 
" permitted printers to wear gold and sil- 
ver, and both the typographi and typoth- 
etae were honored by him with the privi- 



of Technical Terms 327 

lege of bearing coats-of-arms and wearing 
armor." The word typothetae signifies type 
placers and is from the Greek. Its use in 
this country is due to Peter C. Baker of 
New York, who discovered it in some old 
works on printing and suggested it as an 
appropriate title for a society of master 
printers in 1863. He did not know its clas- 
sical pronunciation, but gave it the same 
accent as the word hy-poth'e-sis, and it is 
pronounced this way by members of the 
societies now existing. Greek scholars say 
that it should be pronounced ty-po-the'te. 
The name was applied only to the New 
York society until the summer of 1887, 
when similar societies were formed in St. 
Louis and Chicago. Since then many other 
bodies have been organized bearing this 
name, as well as an international body 
including master printers in the United 
States and Canada, having the title of the 
United Typothetae. It is a voluntary asso- 
ciation to advance the interests of its mem- 
bership and to bring about improved con- 
ditions in the printing industry. A brief 
summary will give an idea of the scope of 
its objects: (1) Education of printers in 
matters of cost of production ; (2) edu- 
cation of printers in benefits of organiza- 
tion ; (3) encouragement of more friendly 
relations and of greater confidence between 
printers ; (4) promotion of trade schools 
for the education of printers ; (5) installa- 



328 The Printer's Dictionary 

tion, under the supervision of experts, of 
scientific cost-finding systems ; (6) main- 
tenance of credit bureaus ; (7) standard- 
ization of printing-plants; (8) suggesting 
plans for the rearrangement of workrooms 
for greater economy of time ; (9) establish- 
ment of satisfactory trade relations with 
those from whom equipment and supplies 
are purchased; (10) standardization of 
shop practices ; (11) promotion of mutual 
fire-insurance companies ; (12) education 
of printers in the principles of scientific 
management; (13) maintenance of free 
employment bureaus; (14) education of 
managers and men in matters of efficiency. 
It is sometimes assumed that because the 
Typothetae is composed of employing 
printers, it was formed to attack the unions 
of journeymen and even to destroy them. 
This is not the fact, however, although the 
two organizations have disagreed a num- 
ber of times on matters of wage-scales, 
hours of work, etc., and on the question of 
the " open " or " closed " shop. 
The United Typothetae is composed of 
delegates from the local societies, and 
holds conventions once a year in different 
cities. For a number of years it has been 
especially active in promoting its objects 
throughout the country and has greatly in- 
creased its membership and influence. 
The headquarters of the organization are 
in Philadelphia. 



of Technical Terms 329 

U — U and V were for a long time merely 
different forms of the same letter, like I 
and J ; the V being originally the form 
used in Roman capitals and the U or u 
the cursive or pen-written form. It is com- 
paratively recent that the two forms have 
been used to express different sounds. 
Language-makers and printers of the six- 
teenth and seventeenth centuries realized 
the confusion made by the use of one form 
to represent several sounds of speech, and 
began to use the forms V and U to repre- 
sent separate sounds, as we use them now. 
This modern distinction between the let- 
ters explains their location out of the usual 
alphabetic order in the printer's cap. case. 

Ultramarine — A beautiful and durable sky- 
blue color, made from the mineral lapis 
lazuli. Artificial ultramarine of commerce 
is made by grinding together and burning 
a mixture of clay, carbonate of soda, sul- 
phur, rosin, etc. Used in making printing 
inks. Same as azure. 

Uncials — A style of pen - written letters in 
early Latin manuscripts. They were a com- 
bination of the old capitals and the newer 
minuscule or small letters, in use before 
small letters had been developed into the 
easier-made forms which they finally as- 
sumed and are now familiar. These uncial 
letters were in many quaint forms, which 
sometimes are copied by designers and let- 



330 The Printer's Dictionary 

terers of the present day. Probably so 
named because the letters were all of one 
size and drawn between horizontal lines 
an inch apart; uncial, Lat. Inch. 

Uncut — Referring to the leaves of a book or 
pamphlet, means that they have not been 
trimmed; when the bolts or folds have not 
been cut, as with a paper knife, they are 
unopened. 

Underlay — A piece of paper, cardboard, or 
other substance placed on the bottom of a 
form, to bring it up to proper height for 
printing. Underlays are necessary when 
the face of a worn type, ornament, rule, or 
cut is not as high as the true level of the 
form. A weak place in a form may be given 
more impression by an overlay on the tym- 
pan, but if the part is very low it should be 
brought up by an underlay in order that it 
may get its proper inking when the rollers 
pass over. Underlays, as well as overlays, 
should be attached in position with the 
smallest quantity of paste that will keep 
them in place. Care should be observed to 
place an underlay exactly and only on the 
part that is to be brought up; to let it touch 
an adjoining letter or rule that is already 
high enough will seldom remedy the defect, 
as the relative height of the two parts will 
still be the same, and while the low part 
is brought up to the required height, the 
adjoining part may be too high. In case of 



of Technical Terms 331 

cuts or other blocks that are not mounted 
with care, it is well to test them before the 
form goes to press and have them made 
the right height. This can easily be done 
by placing the cut on the imposing stone 
between two large types and then laying a 
straightedge or brass rule across their face 
to note if the cut is low or high. A soft 
wood base, even if it seems the right height 
in the form, may need an extra underlay 
when it gets on the press and is subjected 
to the necessary pressure for printing. 
When a large cut or plate is hollow in the 
center, it may be taken off the base and 
an underlay placed on the back of the plate 
itself and the plate fastened on the base 
again. See Overlay. 

Underscore, Underline — To draw, or print 
one or more lines beneath letters or words, 
as for emphasis, thus : UNDERSCORED or 
OVERSCORED. 

Uneven Page — The odd-number page or 
folio, 1,3,5, etc -> as distinguished from the 
even page, 2 , 4, etc. See Odd Folios. 

Unions — Societies of journeymen printers 
and others in the same line of work, organ- 
ized in many cities. The compositor's so- 
ciety is known as the International Typo- 
graphical Union, having its headquarters 
in Indianapolis. The present society dates 
from 1869, having been preceded by the 
National Typographical Union, organized 



332 The Printer's Dictionary 

in 1852, and that again by the Printers' 
National Union, beginning in 1850. It is 
the oldest and one of the strongest trades- 
unions in America. A typographical society 
existed in New York in the year 1795, an- 
swering some of the purposes of a union, 
and in 1800 it prepared a scale of prices. 
It died out before 1805, and the New York 
Typographical Society, then a trades- 
union, succeeded it in 1809. Philadelphia 
had a society in 180 2, Washington in 18 14, 
and Boston and Albany very early ; but 
these societies, although having the same 
objects, did not appoint delegates to a cen- 
tral body. The International Typograph- 
ical Union, representing mainly journey- 
men compositors and composing-room 
workers, is composed of delegates from 
local unions throughout the United States 
and Canada, and meets once each year in 
some important city. While the manage- 
ment of internal affairs, such as establish- 
ing wage scales, membership dues, chapel 
regulations, apprentice conditions, etc., 
is left mostly to local unions, the inter- 
national body has control of many impor- 
tant policies of the association. Travel- 
ing cards are issued to members who wish 
to go from the jurisdiction of one local 
union to another, and they are subject to 
local regulations and privileges. It main- 
tains a home for aged members at Colo- 
rado Springs, Colorado, one of the best 
institutions of its kind. 



of Technical Terms 333 

Workers in pressrooms are organized in 
the International Printing Pressmen and 
Assistants' Union, which has local unions 
throughout the country. 
Closely affiliated with these unions in the 
larger cities are those of the allied trades, 
such as pressmen, feeders, stereotypers, 
electrotypers, engravers, binders, etc., and 
in the more important centers of the in- 
dustry these interests are joined in allied 
printing trades councils. 

Unit — A given standard of measurement; 
thus, the point is the unit of measure for 
type sizes ; pica (12 points ), the unit of 
measure for type lines, pages, length of 
leads, brass rule, size of wood and metal 
furniture, etc. 

Unitype — See Simplex Type- Setter. 

Unit Type Cabinet — An arrangement similar 
to the sectional book cases. Unit type 
cabinets are built in sections about 12^ 
inches high, holding eight or ten cases. 
There is a base piece upon which it rests 
and a cap piece on top. Any number of 
the sections may be put together to provide 
room for additional fonts as needed. These 
cabinets also have cases of different depths 
to provide for fonts of different sizes: very 
shallow cases for job fonts of small type, 
and other cases of various depths, some 
being extra deep, to give room for large 
fonts. 



334 The Printer's Dictionary 

Universal Base — A style of metal base, made 
in one piece or in sections which may be 
placed together, and upon which electros, 
stereos, and other plates may be mounted 
type-high for printing; interchangeable 
base. See Sectional Block. 

Universal Press — A style of platen job press 
originally invented by Merritt Gaily of 
New York, about 1869. It differs from the 
Gordon, Golding, and Prouty styles of 
platen job presses in several features ; its 
frame is more compact and strong, and is 
not so high from the floor ; the bed is sta- 
tionary in a perpendicular position, and 
the impression is given by the movement 
of the platen drawn by two strong side- 
arms at an exact right angle to the bed. 
It has distinctive inking apparatus, which, 
together with its strength, makes it well 
adapted for work requiring good ink dis- 
tribution and a heavy impression. Because 
of its strength it is much used for emboss- 
ing work. There are two makes of this 
style of press, one known as the Gaily 
Universal and the other the Colt's Armory 
(or John Thomson), and both are made 
in several sizes, ranging from 10x15 inches 
to 14 x 22 inches inside chase, for printing. 
Other styles and larger sizes of these ma- 
chines are made especially for embossing, 
stamping, creasing and cutting, printing 
on wood, and for other purposes. 



of Technical Terms 335 

Unlock — To loosen up a form by turning or 
moving the quoins. 

Unsized Paper — See Size. 

Upper Case — The capital case. 

Upright Milering Machine — Forshaving rules, 
etc. It is operated by moving the knife up 
and down with a lever ; in distinction from 
the rotary style machine. 

Upright Page — One that measures less side- 
ways than it does up and down ; the usual 
shape of book page, as distinguished from 
the oblong page, which is wider than its 
height. 

If— This is the older form of the character U, 
and for a long time was used as an equiv- 
alent to it. This form is still sometimes 
used for U in old-style printing and letter- 
ing, as in titles, tablets, inscriptions, etc., 
where it is desired to give classical, old- 
style effect. There seems to be little reason 
for using it for U in modern printing. As 
a Roman numeral V stands for five or 5. 
See U 

Vandercook Press — A style of proof presses 
that have lately been introduced to the 
trade. They embody the use of a cylin- 
drical surface which is rolled over the form, 
and are designed to give a strong, uniform 
impression, and may be operated quickly. 



336 The Printers Dictionary 

Varnish — An oily liquid used in mixing print- 
ing inks. It is made in many grades of 
quality and consistency, the finer kinds 
being made of linseed oil, and rosin oils 
used for the cheaper grades. Reducing 
varnish is used to thin out ink ; gloss var- 
nish will give a glossy effect when it dries 
after printing. See Printing Inks, 

Vegetable Parchment — A specially prepared 
paper, resembling parchment, made water- 
proof and greaseproof, partially transpar- 
ent, and strong ; used for wrappers and 
coverings, for food jars and similar pur- 
poses. See Parchment, 

Vellum — A kind of paper made from the 
skins of calves, of finer quality than parch- 
ment. In the trade genuine vellum is 
called classic vellum, to distinguish it from 
imitation or paper vellum, which is made 
from high-class rags that have been spe- 
cially treated. Used for bindings and for 
fine special editions and documents. See 
Parchment. 

Vellum Finish — Paper or cardboard made 
with a surface that looks and feels like 
vellum ; the smooth, natural surface of a 
finely prepared leather. 

Vermilion — A beautiful red color, toning to 
orange, used as the proper accompaniment 
for black ink. Vermilion pigment is the sul- 
phid of metallic mercury, and as sulphur 



of Technical Terms 337 

and copper react strongly on each other, 
when ink of this kind is used for printing 
with electrotypes there is liable to be un- 
satisfactory results, especially on long 
runs ; the color will become dark, and the 
copper face eaten away. Type forms or 
nickel-faced plates will obviate this trouble. 
Vermilion is also made from the cochineal 
insect — a sort of worm-dye. 
Versicle — The sign ~f used in religious work*. 

Verso — The left-hand page of a book ; back 
or reverse side of a book cover. See Recto. 

Vibrator — An extra roller, placed between 
two form rollers on a press. It rests against 
the form rollers and turns with them, but 
has a lateral motion, vibrating back and 
forth slightly, so as to give additional dis- 
tribution of ink while the form rollers are 
moving over the printing surface. 

Vignette — Before the day of halftones the 
term vignette was applied to little wood- 
cuts that precede the title-page or were 
used to embellish initials, and as chapter 
heads and tail pieces not enclosed within 
a definite border. These cuts contained 
garlands, festoons, trailing vines, etc., 
hence the name vignette. A decorative or 
illustrative tail piece. The term is now gen- 
erally applied to halftone plates finished 
so that the background screen fades away 
gradually and merges into the surface on 
which the print is made. 



338 The Printers Dictionary 

Volume — Originally a roll of parchment or 
papyrus ; a book ; a collection of leaves, 
numbers, or parts bound together to make 
a book. 



W — This is one of the newer additions to 
the alphabet, having been introduced in 
the eleventh century. The first form of this 
letter was two V's, thus VV (double u), V 
being the original shape of the letter we 
now call U. See £7 and V. 

Wall- Paper Printing — Like other classes of 
printing, this was formerly done by hand 
methods, either by the use of engraved 
blocks or by stencils. Some special kinds 
are still produced in this way. Common 
wall-paper is now printed on large cylinder 
machines, in much the same way that daily 
newspapers are printed. The real printing, 
however, must be preceded by an opera- 
tion which applies the tint or " ground " 
on the surface of the paper. This is done 
by running the web through a series of 
brushes which lay the moist ground upon 
which the design is to be printed. This 
moistening of the paper requires a special 
drying process, which carries it in extend- 
ed fashion for long distances over a series 
of steam-heated pipes. The heat dries the 
paper rapidly as it is carried along, and it 
is then re-wound loosely in rolls or run 
directly into the printing machine. 



of Technical Terms 339 

The printing surface is a large cylinder, 
on which the paper is carried to receive 
the various colors of the design. By the 
side of this large cylinder are small cylin- 
ders on which the engraved blocks or 
plates, or other printing surfaces, are 
mounted, each small cylinder having an 
inking apparatus for the particular color 
which it is to print. The cylinders are ad- 
justed and geared so as to revolve and 
print one color after another, in accurate 
register, upon the paper as it passes 
around the large cylinder, each revolution 
of which produces a given length of paper 
printed in several colors. 
Wall-paper is also printed by the offset or 
transfer method. In this process the large 
impression cylinder has a transfer compo- 
sition blanket. The small printing cylin- 
ders, which are geared around the large 
one, each printing a single color, leave 
their impressions, not on the paper, but on 
the composition blanket. As the main cyl- 
inder revolves it receives in turn the vari- 
ous colors of the design. An extra impres- 
sion cylinder, also adjusted close to the 
main cylinder, carries the sheet of paper 
to receive this composite color impression : 
that is, printing all the colors on the paper 
simultaneously at one impression. The ad- 
vantages of this latter method are claimed 
to be a pleasing softness in color effect, 
exact register, greater speed, and less 



34-0 The Printer's Dictionary 

wear on the printing blocks or surfaces be- 
cause of the composition surface on which 
they leave their, impression. 
The colors used for wall-paper are more 
like paste than the stiff typographic inks, 
and they contain more or less glue or a 
similar sticky substance. The work has 
many special processes applied to the pro- 
duction of different kinds of goods. 

Wash Drawing-r—h drawing made in sepia, 
india ink, or transparent colors, in which 
the colors are washed lightly and evenly 
over the surface, as with a brush ; used for 
architectural drawings, machinery, indus- 
trial designs, etc. A style of picture adapt- 
ed for reproduction by halftone engraving 
process. 

Washington Hand Press — A common style of 
iron press, much used for pulling proofs 
and similar work. Its general structure 
and operation is similar to that of the old 
wooden hand press, but its simple mechan- 
ical principle and great strength of im- 
pression, imparted by a simple arrange- 
ment of knuckle-joint and levers, make it 
a most effective machine. It has been 
made by several firms, and probably will 
always be a staple item of general print- 
ing-room equipment. 

Waste Sheets — The extra sheets, trial sheets, 
or spoiled stock used in making ready a 
form on the press, in binding, etc. 



of Technical Terms 341 

Water-mark — The faintly marked figure, let- 
ter, or design in the fabric of a paper, usu- 
ally not noticeable except when the sheet 
is held up to the light. The water-mark in 
a sheet of paper is formed while in a state 
of pulp, when a raised design or pattern 
made of thin wire worked into the required 
shape is fastened upon the surface of the 
wire which forms the mould. The layer of 
fibres over every portion of the design is 
thinner than the surrounding layer which 
forms on the surface of the mould in the 
ordinary way, and the design appears as 
a transparent pattern in the dry paper. 
The water-marks used by early paper mak- 
ers have given names to several sizes of 
paper, like foolscap, pot (English), crown, 
post, elephant. The use of water-marks 
has greatly increased in recent years, as 
it is equivalent to a trade-mark for papers 
of known quality, and a ready means of 
identification. 

Wave Rule — Brass rule having a face like 

Waver Roller — An inking roller which dis- 
tributes ink on a table or on other rollers 
by moving back and forth endways in ad- 
dition to its rotary movement. On some 
styles of cylinder presses it is placed di- 
agonally on the ink table, the action of 
the table giving the vibratory motion. A 
vibrating roller. 



342 The Printer's Dictionary 

Wax Engraving — A common method for 
making printing plates for maps, charts, 
diagrams, and other classes of work. It 
is less expensive than other methods of en- 
graving, and may be done quickly. A pol- 
ished plate of copper or brass is covered 
with a thin film of specially prepared wax, 
and upon this the design may be made 
either by photography, hand drawing, or 
other transfer method. The engraving of 
the wax surface is done by sharp-pointed 
tools, a ruling machine, or, in the case of 
lettering, ordinary types are pressed in the 
warm wax, one letter or one word at a time. 
In this manner the wax-covered plate be- 
comes a mould, the blank spaces are "built 
up " in the same way as an electrotype 
wax mould, and it is then put in a copper 
bath and a copper shell deposited on its 
face. A printing plate is made by the same 
general procedure as with an ordinary 
electrotype. 

Wayzgoose — An old-time printer's festival. 
It is described by Joseph Moxon (1683): 
"It is customary for all the journeymen 
to make every year new paper windows, 
whether the old will serve or not, because 
that day they make them the master 
printer gives them a wayzgoose ; that is, 
he makes them a good feast, and not only 
entertains them at his own house, but be- 
sides, gives them money to spend at the 



of Technical Terms 343 

ale-house or tavern at night; and to this 
feast they invite the corrector, founder, 
smith, joyner, and ink-maker, who all of 
them severally (except the corrector) open 
their purse-strings and add their benevo- 
lence. These wayzgooses are always kept 
about Bartholomew-tide, and till the mas- 
ter printer have given this wayzgoose the 
journeymen do not use to work by candle 
light." Wayzgoose, literally, a young stub- 
ble goose, a dainty dish for a feast. 

Web Press — A printing machine which is 
automatically supplied with paper from a 
great roll or web ; usually a rotary machine, 
but there are flat-bed presses in which the 
same method of supplying paper is used. 

Wetter Numbering Machine — A popular style 
of typographic numbering machine in- 
vented by Joseph Wetter of New York. It 
is made in several varieties and adapted 
to many uses for automatically numbering 
tickets, coupons, certificates, and other 
work. See Numbering Machine. 

Wetting Down Paper — Within the past fifty 
years the practice of dampening paper be- 
fore it is printed has been gradually aban- 
doned in this country, although the prac- 
tice is said to be still in vogue to some ex- 
tent in Europe and elsewhere. The use of 
dampened paper was necessary in early 
days of printing because of crude methods 



344 The Printer's Dictionary 

and materials ; type was not all cast of uni- 
form height and it was used longer and 
worn more ; presses were not made so pow- 
erful and make-ready was not done so care- 
fully. Slightly dampened paper will take 
ink more readily than dry paper, and it 
does not require so much force to make 
the impression on the softened surface. 
The impression makes a thicker line, of 
course, and the impress will show strongly 
on the back of the sheet ; but these were 
necessary results because of the rudimen- 
tary methods and materials employed. The 
dampening also takes the gloss off the sur- 
face of the paper, and although dry-press- 
ing and hot-pressing would smooth out 
more or less of the roughness made by the 
impression, it is a tedious and expensive 
operation. Printing damp paper is a slow 
process, as the stock for a given job must 
be first wet down and allowed to stand for 
several hours (usually over night) in order 
that the moisture may saturate the pile 
evenly ; the damp sheets cannot be han- 
dled as readily as the dry sheets, and when 
printed they must be allowed some time to 
dry. The development of power presses 
with their true and steady impression al mo- 
tion, better inking apparatus, finer print- 
ing surfaces, and better finished paper, as 
well as greater care and skill in the prep- 
aration of tympans, have made wetting 
down an unnecessary operation for the 



of Technical Terms 345 

great bulk of commercial and book print- 
ing. In newspaper work the dampen- 
ing of paper is practiced to some extent, 
especially in places where old equipment 
and old-time methods are still in vogue. 
There are occasional instances, also, in 
which dampened paper is used for small 
editions of choice books printed in old- 
style fashion on hand-made paper. 

Weather Signals, Wind Indicators 
These are cast in type, for use in || p/\|p 
weather reports, etc. (The appren- 
tice should study the type foundry 
specimen books to become familiar with 
the numerous special signs and miscel- 
laneous characters cast in type.) 

White-face Letters, Figures — Those which are 
made to show white on a dark 
ground. See Outline Letters \ 

White Line — A line of quads ; a blank line. 
White-line Engraving — A cut or 

engraving in which the design 

appears in white lines on solid 

or dark ground. 

White Out— To open out, or put blank space 

between lines, when more than ordinary 

leads are required. 
White Page — A blank page. 
Whole Fraction — One that is cast complete 

on one body, in distinction from a piece 

fraction. See Fractions, 





346 The Printer's Dictionary 

Wickersham Quoin— A small metal device for 
tightening up forms in a chase, etc. It 
consists of a metal box, 2 inches long, by 
y% inch deep, and ^ inch in width when 
closed. The quoin is made of two pieces 
held together at the ends by small springs. 
Enclosed in the centre of the box is a cir- 
cular cam, fitted into grooves in the sides. 
An opening in the top of the quoin admits 
a square key which fits into a square hole 
in the cam. The turning of this cam ex- 
pands the sides of the quoin, so that when 
placed between the side-stick or furniture 
and the enclosing chase, its expansion 
presses the whole mass together solidly. 
See Morton Lock-up. 

Wide Measure — Lines of type that are longer 
than normal, in relation to the size of type 
used ; a length of line that would be normal 
for 1 2 -point type would be wide measure for 
6-point. Lines averaging over twelve words 
each may be termed wide measure. 

Wide Spacing—More than the normal space, 
or three-to-em, between words in a line. 
Good practice spaces solid and thin-leaded 
matter with the three-to-em and thinner ; 
double-leaded matter and wide type-faces 
require wider spacing. A safe general rule 
is that the average space between words in 
a line should be less than the white space 
between the lines of a paragraph. Very 
wide spacing is a defect in straight matter. 



of Technical Terms 347 

Wire-mark — The faint mark left on paper by 
certain wires in the mould during manu- 
facture, as in laid paper. See Watermark. 

Wire Stitcher — A machine for fastening the 
leaves of a pamphlet by means of small 
wire staples. The wire is supplied from a 
spool, and is guided into a channel in 
which it is cut into the required length 
and formed into a staple. This staple is 
made just beneath a piece of mechanism 
which, by the action of a foot-trip, drives 
the staple down through the sheets. After 
going through the sheets the two points 
are bent toward each other and pressed 
flat against the under side. All the motions 
of the machine are automatic, and it may 
be adjusted to stitch a thin pamphlet of a 
few sheets or a pamphlet three-quarters of 
an inch or more in thickness. 

Woodburytype — A style of photo-gravure. See 
Photo-gravure. 

Wood Base — A block of wood upon which 
an electro, zinc plate, or halftone plate is 
mounted type-high. Wood bases usually 
suffice for small plates for short runs, but 
for heavy plates and many impressions 
solid metal bases are preferred. See 
Universal Base. 

Wood Engraver — One who engraves or cuts 
pictures or designs on wood blocks for 
printing. 



348 The Printers Dictionary 

Woodcut — An engraving on wood, or a print 
from such an engraving. 

Woodcut Paper — A soft paper of fine fiber 
and smooth finish, lightly sized or un- 
sized, which readily takes an impression 
of ink. Also termed plate paper. 

Wood Engraving — The art of cutting designs 
in relief upon a polished block of wood. 
A print made from a block of this kind. 
For good work boxwood is usually em- 
ployed, and the engraving is done on the 
end of the grain. When the surface of the 
block is smoothed it is treated to a very 
light coating of chalk-wash, in order that 
the drawing or design may be held on it 
while the cutting is being done. The de- 
sign may be drawn with pencil or india ink, 
or transferred by photography. By means 
of fine tools, gravers, gouges, tint-tools and 
chisels of different kinds, the white parts 
are cut away, leaving the design in raised 
lines or dots on the surface. Woodcuts 
will print well on all grades of paper, even 
with ordinary inks ; they can be engraved 
finely to give soft and delicate effects, or 
they can be made in strong lines and 
masses of color. The lines being cut deep, 
there is less liability to fill up in printing, 
and electros can be made as good as the 
original. Electros are always advisable 
for woodcuts, the original being preserved 
for further plates or in case of accident to 
the printing form. 



of Technical Terms 349 

Wood Pulp — Wood pulp is of two distinct 
classes, " mechanical " and " chemical." 
The mechanical or " ground wood " pulp 
is made by taking logs which have been 
sawed into convenient lengths, removing 
the bark and feeding them into a machine 
where they are ground to atoms by con- 
tact with a rapidly-revolving grindstone 
over which water is flowing. The pulp is 
then screened in order to eliminate splin- 
ters or chips, and is formed into sheets on 
a wet press machine. This product is of 
low quality, as it contains all the resinous 
and gummy portions of the original wood, 
and the fibers are short and inflexible. The 
chemical pulp is made by chipping the 
logs, and cooking the chips in large digest- 
ors with strong liquors at a high temper- 
ature. After a sufficient time the digestors 
are emptied, and the pulp is then washed, 
screened, and bleached, and formed into 
sheets by a machine closely resembling a 
paper machine. This process dissolves the 
resinous and gummy matters, and leaves 
the cellulose fibers in a practically pure 
state. These fibers are much better than 
the "ground wood," as they are freed from 
substances which soon decay, and are 
longer, stronger, and more flexible. There 
are several different kinds of chemical 
wood pulps, varying in character accord- 
ing to the kinds of wood used and the proc- 
esses of cooking employed. The two most 



350 The Printer's Dictionary 

. 

common are known as "soda pulp" and 
"sulphite pulp." 

Mechanical pulp and chemical pulp are 
often used together, the quality of paper 
depending on the proportion of low grade 
and better pulp; chemical pulp is also 
mixed with rag pulp for better grades of 
paper. 

Wood Pulp Board — Coarse, stiff card made 
from wood pulp, used for making boxes, 
cheap book covers, etc. 

Wood Type — Large types, such as are used 
for posters and large bills, are made of 
wood. The smallest size for practical use 
is 48-point, or 4-line pica. Sizes of wood 
type are multiples of the pica, and are so 
named, as 8-line, 10-line, etc. They are 
much cheaper than metal types, though not 
as durable or satisfactory for printing. The 
wood commonly used is maple and the let- 
ter is made on the end of the grain. It must 
be well seasoned and polished. The man- 
ner of cutting the letter is by routing away 
the blank parts with a small rapidly-revolv- 
ing cutter. The strip of wood, cut to the 
height of the size required and planed type- 
high, is placed in a machine equipped with 
a pantograph apparatus. A pattern letter 
is put in place, and over this a guide point 
is moved ; on another part of the machine 
is the revolving cutting tool ; as the guide 
point is moved over the pattern, its mo- 






of Technical Terms 351 

tions are duplicated by the block under the 
cutter, which cuts away the wood. When 
the letters on a block are thus routed out, 
they are sawed apart, the finishing touches 
given, and the letters oiled. Pine and other 
soft woods are used for very large sizes of 
wood type and poster cuts. 

Wood Furniture — Pieces of wood of various 
sizes, for fitting around forms, between 
pages, etc. See Furniture. 

Wood Rule, Border, etc. — Large sizes of rules, 
borders, ornaments, and similar material, 
are made of wood for posters, large cards, 
etc. Same as wood type. 

Work-and-turn — When all the pages on a 
sheet are imposed on one form, the paper 
is turned and printed on the second side, 
making two copies when cut. See Half 
Sheet, Sheetwise. 

Worked (9^-When the required amount of 
sheets have been printed the form is said 
to be worked off. 

Workers — The set of electros used for print- 
ing a work, in distinction from the pattern 
plates or moulders — those held in reserve 
for moulding duplicates, or for other use. 

Wove Paper — Paper made on a mould in 
which the wires are woven together like 
the threads of ordinary cloth, and which 
does not show distinct wire marks, as on 



352 The Printer's Dictionary 

laid paper. Most paper is now made on 
this kind of a mould, especially paper used 
in printing, as the wire marks of laid paper 
are liable to show in printing solid or flat 
surfaces. See Laid Paper, 
Writings — General term for writing paper of 
all grades. The cheaper grades are made 
mostly of wood pulp, the better grades from 
cotton rags, and the finest grades from 
linen rags. Writing papers are sized, and 
do not take printing ink as readily as un- 
sized book or print paper ; they require a 
stiffer, stronger ink and more impression. 

Wrong-font — A wrong letter or character in 
a line, caused by mixing fonts of type ; in 
proof, written wf. 

Xylography — The art or process of engraving 
on wood. 

Yankee Job Stick — A style of compositor's stick 
in common use. The movable knee is held 
to the back-plate by a small steel clamp and 
a thumbscrew. Its popularity for jobbing 
is largly due to the ease with which it can 
be changed from one measure to another. 
The sticks in use before its advent required 
a screwdriver or similar tool to fasten or to 
unloose the movable knee. 

Year Book — A book or pamphlet published 
once a year, in which a record of events, 
statistics, and other information relating 
to some work or subject is put in conve- 
nient form for reference. 



of Technical Terms 353 

Ye — The y in this old-time word and also in 
y m > y n > y s > and yt, is a corrupt represen- 
tation of the Anglo-Saxon P , or th, intro- 
duced at the time when the Anglo-Saxon 
alphabet was superseded by the Old Eng- 
lish or Black Letter, in which f (y) bore a 
considerable resemblance in form to "p. 

Zinc Etching — A relief printing plate made 
on zinc by photo-chemical operations. See 
Process Engraving. 

Zinc Galleys — Those with zinc bottoms ; now 
little used except for mail lists and other 
standing matter. Brass is now commonly 
used. 

Zinc Halftone — The cheaper, coarse screen 
halftones, such as are used by newspapers, 
are etched on zinc instead of copper, the 
latter being used for finer work. 

Zincograph — An etching on zinc. 



, 



354 The Printer's Dictionary 



Names and Proportions of Regular Book Folds 



Name of 
folding 


Modern 

size of 

leaf 


Size of 

printed 

sheet 


to 




Old size 

(folds of 
19x24) 


Folio .... 


12 X 18 


18 X 24 


4 


12 X 19 


Quarto (4to) 


9X12 


18 X 24 


8 


9^ X 12 


Octavo (8vo) 


6X9 


24 X36 


16 


6X9M 


i2mo .... 


5H x 7^ 8 


30^ X 41 


32 


4 3 ^ X8 


i6mo . . . . 


4^ X 63* 


27X36 


32 


4^X6 


i8mo .... 


4X6 


24 X32 


32 


4X6M 


241110 .... 


3^8 X $% 


22 X 29 


32 


4X4% 


32mo .... 


3H X 4 3 ^ 


19 X 25 


32 


3X4** 


36mo .... 


3X4^ 


18 X 24 


32 


3» 6 X 4 


481x10 .... 


2% X4 


18 X 24 


48 


2% X4 



How Books Are Bound 

BOOKBINDING includes all the processes nec- 
essary to fasten the leaves of a book and put 
them into a cover, after the paper has been made 
and the printing done. The details of the work va- 
ries more or less according to the character of the 
product — whether literary and historical works, 
novels, school text books, blank books, pamphlets, 
catalogues, notebooks, diaries, etc. These and other 
classes of books may be bound in many different 
ways, as in leather, cloth, boards, or paper, in either 
stiff or flexible covers. 

When the printing has been done on a large sheet, 
the sheet is folded over and over until in length and 
width it is the size of one leaf. This folded sheet is 
the unit of a book, and each book is made up of a 
number of these units, a book being large or small 
according to the size of the page and the number of 
units used. In large binderies much of the folding 
is done by machines with automatic feeders. In 
addition to these there are machines which are fed 
by hand, the sheets being taken one by one from a 
pile and placed into the machines as rapidly as they 
can be taken up and folded. In the smaller binderies, 
most of the folding is done by hand. Some hand 
folding is also done in binderies where folding ma- 
chines are used. This is necessary in case of special 
folds, of errors which sometime occur in machine 
folding, and in case the necessary folds are too small 
for the machines. 

As a number of copies of a book are made at one 
time, there are many duplicates of each signature 
when the folding is done. These duplicates are 

355 



356 How Books Are Bound 

collected into separate piles, and the piles arranged 
in order of the page numbers. One signature is 
then taken in order from the top of each pile to 
form the individual book. This process is called 
gathering. In some of the larger binderies gathering 
is done by machines, but where these are not used 
the work is done by hand, the signatures of each 
complete book being collected in order from one 
pile after another. 

After the collection of signatures is made, they 
are examined to see that no error has occurred in 
the order of pages and that no signature is missing. 
This is collating. 

When the signatures have been gathered and col- 
lated they must be sewed together. In the larger 
binderies this sewing is done by machines, but in 
smaller binderies the sewing is done by hand. 

The remaining processes are forwarding and fin- 
ishing. Forwarding includes trimming the edges of 
the leaves ; rounding the back previous to putting 
the book into its cover, backing o\ jointing it all along 
each side of this rounded back to allow for the bend- 
ing of the cover, re- enforcing the back with cloth 
and paper ; and, in some books, putting on the cloth 
head-bands at the top and bottom of the back. 
Forwarding also includes the making of covers 
and fastening them on the books. Covers are fast- 
ened to books commonly by one of two methods; 
in the case book the sewing which holds the signa- 
tures together has no connection with the cover ; 
in the laced in book the signatures are sewed to 
pieces of twine or bands across the back, and the 
ends of these bands are fastened to the cover boards. 
The latter is, as will be noted, the most durable, but 
the former method, being cheaper, is employed for 
ordinary books. 



Technical Terms 357 

Finishing means placing the title, designs, orna- 
mentation, etc., on the cover. Sometimes these are 
stamped by machine and sometimes tooled by hand. 

Many other details of book binding are briefly 
described in the following glossary of technical terms. 



TERMS USED IN BOOK BINDING 

Ail-along — In sewing a book, when the thread is 
passed from kettle-stitch to kettle-stitch, or from 
end to end in each sheet, it is sewed ail-along. 

Antique — See Blind Tooling. 

Azure Tools — Used in binding, where the heavy 

and wide marks, instead of being a solid mass, 

are made with horizontal lines. 

Backing — The process which makes the back of the 
book ready to set into the cover. It may be done 
with a hammer, the book being held by clamps ; 
or by placing the book in a backing-and-rounding 
machine operated by hand or by other power 
which turns over the back edges toward the sides 
of the book. 

Bands — The cords on which the sheets of a volume 
are sewed. When " sewed flexible," the bands 
show on the back of the book ; when bands are 
let in the back by sawing grooves, narrow strips 
of leather are glued across the back to look like 
raised bands. 

Band Driver and Nippers — Tools used in forward- 
ing, to correct irregularities in the bands of flexi- 
ble backs. 

Bastard Title — The brief title on a leaf preceding 
the main title ; sometimes termed the half title. 

Binder — A temporary cover for periodicals and 
pamphlets, usually arranged so that it may be 
taken off and attached to subsequent copies of a 
publication. A book-binder. 



358 



Terms Used in 



Binder's Waste — A kind of paper made for lining 
or end papers. 

Bindery — A book-binding establishment. 

Blank Books — A large variety of books which are 
bound with blank leaves, or leaves having ruled 
lines and little or no printing : account books, 
memorandum books, ledgers, etc. 

Bleed — When the margins of a book or pad of 
printed sheets have been trimmed so as to cut 
into the printing, they are said to bleed. 

Blind Tooling or Stamping — Impressions of finish- 
er's tools or book-dies without ink or gold leaf. 
Sometimes called antique. 

Blocking Press — A stamping press for impressing 
blocks or dies on covers. 

Boards — Applied generally to many kinds of heavy 
cardboard. A book with stiff sides covered with 
paper of any color is bound in paper boards. 

Board Papers — The part of the end papers pasted 
on the board covers. 

Bolt — The uncut fold in the head, fore edge, or tail 
of a book sheet. 

Book Cloth — Used for covers ; is made by special 
processes and in many grades and patterns. 

Book-marker — A slip of card, paper, ribbon, or other 
material to place between the pages of a book, for 
a reader's or owner's convenience. 

Book Plate — A printed label, made in plain or elabo- 
rate design, to indicate the ownership of a volume. 
Ex-libris. 

Bosses — Brasses or other metal ornaments fastened 
upon the boards of books. 

Brochure (pronounced broshur) — A small pamphlet 
having the sheets simply sewed ; a booklet. 

Broken Over — When plates (illustrations on sepa- 
rate sheets inserted in a book) are turned over 
and folded a little from the back edge, before 
they are put into place, to make them lay flat 
and turn easily, they are said to be broken over. 



Book Binding 359 

Buckram — A kind of thick cloth finished like linen, 
possessing good wearing quality. 

Bulk— The thickness of a book, without the cover. 
Some papers bulk more than others for a given 
number of leaves — that is, make a thicker book. 

Bundling — Pressing together the signatures of gath- 
ered books and tying them in bundles, to make 
them solid as possible, and for convenience in 
handling. 

Burnished Edges — Those which have been gilded 
or colored and polished smoothly. Burnished 
edges of a book may be dusted and kept cleaner 
than rough or ordinarily-trimmed edges. 

Cancels — Leaves containing errors which are to be 
cut out and replaced with corrected pages. 

Caps— Paper coverings used to protect its edges 
while the book is being covered and finished. 
Also the leather covering of head-bands. 

Case — The cover of a cloth-bound book. 

Case Binding — When the cases or covers are made 
separately and afterward fastened on the backs of 
the books. 

Circuit Edges — Bibles and prayer-books are some- 
times bound with projecting covers turned over 
to protect the edges ; divinity edges. 

Clasp — A hook or catch for fastening the covers 
of a book together, usually at the fore edge. 

Cloth Boards — Stiff cloth covers. 
Collating — Examining the signatures after a book 
is gathered, to see that they are in correct order. 

Colophon — A note, inscription, or emblematic device 
relating to the printing or binding of a book ; old- 
time term for the printer's imprint at the end of 
the work. 

Contents, Table of — See p. 38. 

Corners — Pieces of leather or other material pasted 
upon the corners of a book in half binding. 



360 Terms Used in 

Cropped — When a book has been trimmed down 
too much. 

Crushed Levant — Levant morocco leather with the 

grain crushed down to give a smooth surface. 
Deckle-edge — See p. 49. 

De Luxe Edition — A book made with high-grade 
material and more than the usual care and expense. 

Dedication — An address prefixed to a book or other 
literary work, inscribed to a friend or patron as a 
mark of respect or affection. 

Dentelle — A fine tooled border resembling lace-work. 

Divinity Edges — Same as circuit edges. 

Double — The ornamented inside of the cover of a 
book, made with tooled leather, silk, or other 
material. Also termed doublure. 

Drop Folio — A page number at the bottom of a 

page. 
Dummy — Pages of a book or other composition 

made up to show the general form and style of 

the completed work. See p. 56. 

Duodecimo— Sheet folded into twelve leaves ; i2mo. 

See p. 57. 
Edge-rolled — When the edges of a cover are lined 

or ornamented, blind or in color, with a roll, or 

finishing tool. 
Edition Work — When books are bound in large 

numbers, as distinguished from single books or 

jobbing. 
Embossed — When a plate is stamped upon a sheet 

or cover so as to produce a raised figure or design. 

End Papers — The paper placed at the front and 
back of a bound book ; one sheet is pasted to the 
cover, the other to the next white sheet, unless 
it is specially made paper. End papers are often 
of ornamental patterns and special or significant 
designs. The fly-leaves. 






Book Binding 361 

Extra Binding — A trade term for books sewed and 
bound by hand in superior manner. 

Extra Cloth — Used for popular bindings, in plain 
finish and a variety of patterns ; the cloth is well 
covered with color, concealing the weave and giv- 
ing a solid color effect. 

Fanfare — A style of binding in which there is great 
profusion and repetition of flowers, foliage, and 
other small ornaments. 

Fillet — A cylindrical instrument upon which sim- 
ple lines are engraved, used in finishing. 

Finishing — The part of a binder's work which 
consists in lettering and ornamenting the cover. 
The workman doing this is & finisher. 

Flexible — When a book is sewed on raised bands 
and the sewing thread passed entirely around 
each band. A term applied also to the covers of 
a book, as for example, full flexible or entirely 
limp ; or se?ni- flexible, when a thin board or heavy 
paper is used in making the cover. 

Fly-leaves — The blank white leaves at the begin- 
ning and end of a book. 

Foil — A special product, neither gold leaf nor ink, 
used in stamping book covers. 

Folder — See p. 76. 

Folio — A sheet folded into two leaves. See p. 77. 

Fore Edge — The side of a book opposite the back. 

Format — The size, shape, proportions, and appear- 
ance of a book or other work. 

Forwarding — The operation of binding after the 
book is sewed, until it is put in its cover and 
ready for finishing. 

French Finish — Bindings having upon them bands 
only, with no tooling ; clear leather simply titled 
in gilt. 

Front Matter — Preliminary matter. See p. 204. 



362 Terms Used in 

Full Binding — When sides and back of a book are 
entirely covered with leather. 

Full Gill — When the edges of the leaves of a book 
are gilded on head, fore edge, and tail. 

Gathering — Collecting the folded sheets of a book 
according to the order of the signatures. See p. 87. 

Goffered Edges — An indented decorative design on 
the edges of a book ; an old fashion in book bind- 
ing, applied to gilt or silvered edges. 

Glair — The white of eggs, beaten up ; used as a size 
to hold gold leaf in book binding. 

Gilt — Applied to ornamental work on covers and 
also to the edges of a book ; in the latter case, 
chiefly used for the top. 

Guards — Strips of paper inserted in the back mar- 
gin of a book, intended for pasting plates on, 
and to prevent the book being uneven when 
closed with the plates inserted. 

Guarded Signatures — Folded sections of a book 
which have strips of cambric pasted around the 
outside back edge, to strengthen the paper and 
binding; sometimes done on the first and last 
signatures of a book because of the extra strain 
on these sections. 

Guinea Edge — Rolled with a pattern similar to the 

edge of an old guinea coin. 
Half Binding — When a book is covered with leather 

on the back and corners, and the sides covered 

with cloth or paper : half morocco, half russia, 

half calf, etc. 
Half Title — See p. 95. 
Hand Letters — Types made usually of brass, so that 

they may be heated, and affixed singly to handles, 

for lettering covers, etc. 
Head and Tail — Top and bottom of a book. 
Head-band — The ornamental pieces of silk or cotton 

at top and bottom of the back of a book, to give 

finish. 



Book Binding 363 

Hub — A thick band on the back of a blank book. 

In Boards — When a book is cut after the boards 
are in place to form the sides, it is cut in boards. 
When cut before the boards are affixed it is out 
of boards with projecting covers. Most books 
are bound in the latter manner. 

htlay — A panel of cloth, paper, or leather set into 
a book cover flush with the surface. 

Inset — A sheet placed inside of another, both being 
folded. The outer sheet is an outset. 

Jacket — The paper wrapper, printed or unprinted, 
folded around a new book to protect the cover. 

Joints — The part of the cover where it joins the back 
on the inside ; the hinge. 

Keratol — A waterproof cloth made in imitation of 
leather ; sometimes used for book covers. Similar 
to leatherette, buffinette, etc. 

Kettle-stitch — The stitch made at the head and 
tail of a book ; a chain stitch ; a catch stitch. 

Laced In — When the cover is fastened on a book 
by means of the bands being passed through holes 
in the boards, they are laced in. 

Law Binding — A plain style of leather binding used 
for law books. Law Calf — Binding in calf leather 
that is uncolored, in the natural state, pale brown. 

Leatherette — Cloth or paper imitation of leather, 
sometimes used for covers. 

Levant Morocco — Morocco leather made from the 
skin of the Levant goat, which has a larger grain 
than Turkish morocco. See Morocco. 

Limp — Leather or cloth bindings which are flexible 
and bend easily, in distinction from boards or stiff 
covers. 

Lining Papers — Colored or marbled papers inside 
the covers ; end papers. 

Make-up — The plan of a book or other work, show- 
ing the order of pages, engravings, etc. See p. 147. 



364 Terms Used in 

Marbled Calf — Calfskin made to resemble marble 
by chemical treatment. 

Marbling — A process of decorating sheets of paper 
and edges of books with variegated colors in irreg- 
ular patterns. 

Mill-board — A thick, very heavy card, used for book 
covers. 

Mitred — When the lines of a design meet at a right 
angle without over-running each other; joints of 
leather or cloth at an angle of 45 degrees, as when 
turned over on the inside of the covers. 

Morocco — A fine leather prepared commonly from 
goat-skin, but an inferior kind is made of sheep- 
skin, and tanned with sumac, and dyed in various 
colors ; said to have been first made by the Moors. 
Genuine morocco makes the most durable bind- 
ing for books. 

Octavo — A sheet folded into eight leaves. See p. 165. 

Out of Boards — See In Boards. 

Out Page — The first or signature page of a sheet. 

Outset — See Inset. 

Oversheets — Signatures or sheets left over after 
complete copies are gathered and bound. 

Paste-down — The part of the fly-leaf sheet that is 
pasted on to the cover of a book. 

Pieced — When space between bands, where letter- 
ing or title is placed, has a piece of leather differ- 
ent from the back, it is said to be pieced or titled. 

Plate — Any full-page illustration printed on paper 
different than the book is termed a plate. 

Points — Small holes made in the sheet when printed, 
as guides for registering and folding. See p. 195. 

Publisher's Binding — Commonly understood as or- 
dinary cloth binding. 

Quarter Binding — Leather or cloth back with paper 
board sides. 

Quarto— A sheet folded into four leaves. See p. 236. 



Book Binding 365 

Recto — The right-hand page of a book. 

Register — The ribbon placed in a book as a marker. 
A list of signatures at the end of early-printed 
books for use of the binder. See p. 242. 

Roll — A small wheel attached to a handle, the edge 
of the wheel having a decorative pattern. It is 
used for ornamenting book covers. 

Rounding — See Backing. 

Running Head or Title — The title of a book or sub- 
ject at the top of the page and repeated from page 
to page. 

Russia Leather — Used for book bindings. The gen- 
uine leather is made in Russia, and is commonly 
brownish red in color, although it is sometimes 
made in black, dark blue, and green. An imitation 
of this, known as American russia or imitation 
russia, is made of cowhide, a thick, strong leather 
with a slight grain, so closely resembling the gen- 
uine that the difference can be detected only by 
the characteristic odor of the Russian product. 
The latter is said to be tanned with willow bark, 
dyed with sandal wood, and soaked with birch oil. 

Saddle-stitch — See p. 258. 

Sawed In — When the signatures of a book are ready 
for sewing, a number of slight grooves are sawed 
across the back ; into these grooves are placed 
the cords on which the sewing threads are turned. 

Section — The leaves that are folded together to 
make one piece for gathering ; it may be a single 
folded sheet, or two sheets, one of which is set into 
the other. A signature. 

Set-off — A transfer of color to the opposite page. 

See p. 166. 
Shelf -back — The back of the book, showing the 

title, bands, decorations, etc. 
Signature — See p. 269. 
Sixteenmo — A sheet folded into sixteen leaves ; 

i6mo. 



366 Terms Used in 

Slips — The pieces of twine that project from the 
back of a sewed but uncovered book. They can 
be slipped up or down, and are fastened to the 
covers. 

Smashing — Pressing together folded signatures so 
that the folds will lay flat. This may be done with 
a flat -headed hammer or mallet, or on a smashing 
machine. See Bundling. 

Spring Back — A cover that is not fastened entirely 
on the back of the book, but will show a hollow 
space when the book is opened ; in distinction 
from tight back. 

Start — When the leaves of a bound book break 
away from the sewing threads, they are said to 
start. 

Super — A cotton cloth resembling cheesecloth, glued 
and starched, and glued to the back of the sewed 
signatures, to hold the book and cover together. 

Tapes — Short strips of tape or cloth placed across 
the back of a book and fastened to the boards to 
strengthen the binding. 

T.E.G. or l.e.g. — Top edge gilt. 

Three Quarter Binding — Leather back and corners, 
with paper or cloth sides. 

Thumb Index, Thumb Guides — The notches ranged 

in order down the fore edge of dictionaries and 

other reference books. 
Tight Back — When the cover of a book is fastened 

solidly to the back, and does not open out hollow 

when the book is opened. 

Tipped On —When a print or other sheet is mounted 
on a larger sheet by simply pasting down one edge. 
The French word volant is sometimes used. 

Title — The space between the bands on the back 
of a book, upon which the title is lettered. 

Tooling — To make designs or ornaments on a book 
cover by means of small hand tools, either with 
gold or colors, or plain. See Blind Tooling. 









BC 1» 5 



Book Binding 367 

Top Cover — The front cover of a book. 

Unctct — When the edges of a book have not been 
trimmed. When the bolts of an uncut book have 
not been cut, it is unopened. 

Verso — The left-hand page of a book ; the back or 
reverse side of the cover. 

Whip-stitching — When the leaves of a book have 
no fold at the back, they are sewed together in 
sections, the stitches on the back of each section 
being close together and extended from top to 
bottom. This is called whip-stitching. The sec- 
tions are then sewed together like the sections of 
a book having folded leaves. 

White Edges — Simply cut, without being "gilded or 
colored. 

Wired — When the sheets of a pamphlet are fast- 
ened with wire stitches or staples. This is done 
on wire-stitching machines. See p. 347. 



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